Principles and Elements
by Grim Revolution
Summary: A dragon reserve in the Canadian Rockies is thrown into chaos by two new recruits; a Night Fury and Hiccup, the city boy from Pennsylvania. AU
1. Unity

It's the modern world with Hiccup leaving a peaceful life between the streets of Philadelphia with his mother and the dragon reserve in the Canadian Rockies with his father. But when a new dragon comes in, it seems as if Hiccup will have to put his pencils and paint aside for awhile… and is dragged into an adventure wilder than the pictures he creates.

* * *

**Unity**

_How all aspects of an artwork go together._

After the quiet divorce between his parents and he and his mother moved to Philadelphia, Hiccup looked for inspiration. During the grueling battle, he had sat with narrowed eyes and watched as his parents fought over him, pencil tapping the blank page of his sketchbook. It was when they had arrived on the East Coast when he finally grabbed a hold of inspiration and held onto it with white fingers.

There was a museum of art that littered the street. It covered walls and fences, playgrounds and sidewalks. Colors or just black and white. Hiccup remembered sitting in the car, nose pressed to the window, watching as the images passed him by—names, faces, animals… and he wanted to make his own mark on this city.

Now, holding a bandana over his mouth, Hiccup shook the can of Neon green paint, hearing it click noisily back and forth before he raised it up and listened to the soft hiss as the spray coated the bricks. He couldn't help but grin slightly, ears listening for any sign of the police. After two years, he had earned a name for himself; Dragon. Each one of his pieces had held the creature in some way and now he was placing his name next to the others.

Respect and art. That's what it was all about. Stepping back, Hiccup admired his work before placing his used cans into the black duffle bag at his side. They clanked together before settling, and he turned on his heel, walking out of the alley, ripping his bandana from his face, and walked the three blocks home.

Sighing, the teen made his way past a group of Latinos, nodding respectfully as they saw the bag hooked around his shoulder. "Aye, lookie! You do anything new, Dragon boy?" The tallest one said, his voice mocking and sounded as if his nose was clogged, his dark eyes catching sight of the Florida Gator on the side of the duffle.

Hiccup pointed over his shoulder and continued to walk, climbing easily up the fire escape to the worn and burnt-along-the-edges apartment building. It had been covered a long time ago with paint of all different colors, but the redhead could've cared less; why should he complain about someone else's canvas? They found it, they have the rights to use it. Simple as that.

His room was dark—almost despairingly—but he changed out of his baggy hoodie and stained jeans, throwing them into the closet and hiding the bag under his bed. Easing himself down, Hiccup pulled the covers over his half naked form, eased the beanie off his head, and threw it onto the desk.

Tonight would be his last night in Philly when the summer started and his mother shipped him up North where his father ran a Dragon preserve. He made his mark on the last day of the school year, and tomorrow would branch him off in a whole different direction.

Finally, after a few minutes, he settled into a deep slumber, thoughts succumbed by images of giant flying reptiles and crackling fire.

"Hiccup? _Hiccup_!" Grumbling, the teen let his eyes slide open, his green gaze settling on the open blinds and darkness outside. "Oh for crying out loud—_Get up!_" Vaguely, he recognized his mother's voice.

Groaning, Hiccup forced himself upward. "Yeah, yeah… getting there…"

"Good. Your bags are already in the car—"_ Except for one_, he added on silently, thinking about the one under his bed. "And you better eat breakfast before you get there, so we're stopping by Yolonda's place."

He perked up at that. Yolanda was the lady downstairs who owned a Mexican restaurant that, Hiccup swore, was the best food he'd ever had in his life. Sliding on a fresh t-shirt (green, like always) and a newer set of jeans, he pulled out his gator duffle from under the bed and made his way out to the kitchen where his mother, Valhallamara, was waiting albeit impatiently. He flashed her a crooked grin before turning out the door, shoes already on his feet. Rolling her eyes, but smiling, the woman followed him, locking the door behind them.

"She said… there," Hiccup followed her finger to where a paper bag was sitting by their neighbor's door. Grinning, he picked it up and slid it into his jacket pocket. They were still slightly warm from when Yolanda had made them earlier. Silently, they piled into the cold car, the teen feeling the chill from the leather seats seeping up into his body. "You ready?"

Smiling, Hiccup turned to his mother and nodded, watching out of the corner of his eye as the sidewalk slowly began to pick up speed until it had turned into a blur of golden orange from the light of the streetlamps.

It was goodbye to the city of street art… for the moment.

* * *

Stoick Haddock frowned, his red hair messy and straggling. His son would be at the airport in an hour and they still couldn't get the Monstrous Nightmare back into the enclosure. He was about centimeters away from reaching for a tranquilizing gun before the dragon moved back, snorting and roaring, but allowing the group of people to guide it back.

Grunting in exhaustion, Stoick rubbed his large hand across his face, turning to find Gobber in the mess of colleagues. His employees respectfully moved out of the way, rushing back and forth to treat none-too-serious burns. Eventually he found Gobber, strictly telling off two blonde twins before sending them on their way.

"Well, I'm off."

Gobber frowned, looking over the man. "Going to go get the bucket of trouble?"

Laughing heartily, Stoick clapped his best friend on the shoulder. "Indeed. I hope you're ready for him."

"Ready for Hiccup? Sure; I'll make sure nothing sharp or pointy is in his general direction." Twirling his blonde mustache around his fingers for a moment, Gobber watched him go before sighing, looking over the five new trainees.

Time to get back to work.

Stoick nodded to Spitelout (whose son was clambering around somewhere) and headed back to the main building where his large heavy duty Ford was parked. The vehicle had a trailer attached to the back of it, illusioned for horses whenever an injured dragon was herded inside. Sliding the key into the ignition, the large man quickly pulled out, the gravel road grumbling under his large tires. He had to drop the trailer off at the house before going to the airport, but it would only take a few minutes of his time; he didn't live all that far from the reserve.

Sighing, one large hand gripping the wheel, Stoick weaved around the empty curves not noticing when the rough gravel became a chipped asphalt. His son had gone to live with his mother for more than half the year, and him with the last three months. Because they lived so far from each other, Stoick had never watched his boy grow and the letters he received from his ex-wife had only been on how _she_ was guiding him. But last year… last year the boy was distant. He had hardly spoken and vanished on one or more occasion. When asking one of the magicians still living in Pennsylvania, she told him that the boy would do that at home, too, and no one—not even the more _questionable_ groups of people—knew where he went.

Stoick turned onto the long rode leading up to his home, rolling the windows up to keep the dust out. Aspens and spruces surrounded the car, creating a vibrant shade of blues, greens, white, and brown. The redhead grunted when he finally reached his home, backing up and getting out of the truck (not daring to leave the door open, incase some small hitchhiker decided to get it) and quickly began the process of unlatching the trailer. As he wound the support wheel down upon the dirty chunk of wood under it, he imagined what his son would look like this year.

He had always been scrawny, even as a baby, and being born a few weeks early hadn't helped all that much. Sighing, the burly man made sure that the trailer wouldn't be moving any time soon, sticking two planks before the wheels, before climbing into his vehicle once more. The truck rumbled to a start before making its way down the dirt road once again.

* * *

Hiccup scowled. His dad was late—_again_. Sighing, the teen settled down on one of his suitcases, waving off the six employees at the airport once again. "He'll be here soon, don't worry." He had said simply, knowing it was true. Stoick always, _always,_ got the time wrong. Flicking open his worn and cracked cell phone, the redhead stood, hearing his knees crack painfully with a sharp wince.

His green eyes moved over the empty street, watching for a familiar blue truck. He couldn't see it. Grumbling, Hiccup was just about to call Gobber when his phone rang; a trademark wolf howl that accompanied his father. Sighing, the teen pressed it to his ear. "Yes?"

"Hey Hiccup, how was your flight?"

"Tiring, boring, cramped." Small planes were always like that, he didn't mind so much, it was the waiting afterwards when he could be eating something that made his teeth grind. "Where are you?"

There was a sigh and Hiccup steeled himself. "Just a minute away." Large, green eyes blinked in astonishment; normally when his father called him, Gobber would have to come and pick him up due to some urgent business at the reserve. "I'm turning onto the street right now."

Sure enough, the large Ford was rumbling towards him, a very familiar figure in the driver's side. Smirking, Hiccup waved happily and snapped his phone shut within the same motion. He drew the duffle onto his shoulder even as his father stopped, climbing out of the vehicle. Grunting, the burly man lifted the other luggage, placing them on the small carpet of pine needles in the bed of the truck.

The duffle bag followed him into the car, placed gently into the back seat. Sighing, Hiccup leaned against the leather seats, his lips quirking upwards into a smile as his body relaxed. As the Ford grumbled to life, he found himself drawn off into a peaceful slumber.

* * *

Ah, yes, a new story. For those who've read chapter 19 in _A Picture is worth a Thousand Words_, yes, this is the longer version. Sort of. Five people said they liked the idea, so I lengthened it, made it pretty, and slapped it up.

Funny how all my stories end up sounding like a package of meat.

By the way, I do not live in Philadelphia. If there's something you _don't_ like about that part, I'm sorry, and I'll try to change it to your demands. I live in Colorful Colorado where the weather is almost as strange as the people (must be the altitude).

As always; review and comment if you liked or disliked. I'm a big girl, I can take criticism.

Happy Reading!

Grim


	2. Contrast

**Contrast**

_Two elements which are used to show the differences in each other _

Hiccup was jolted harshly awake when they came to a stop; one eye flickered open, glaring accusingly at the elk walking slowly across the road. His father drummed his fingers patiently on the wheel, whistling a soft tune that the teen vaguely recognized as _Celebration_ by Madonna. Realizing that he wouldn't get anymore sleep, the teen straightened, rubbing gently at his eyes.

They were getting closer to the house, which meant that it was also nearer to a bed and a fridge stocked with food. Sighing, Hiccup leaned back, his eyes landing on the roof of the truck. After a few minutes, the road turned almost rough, but it was just another welcome to the teen who turned to look out into the fresh leaves donning the Aspens.

He absently realized that the green matched his eyes. This was why he came up here; the tees, the fresh air, the inspiration. In Philadelphia, his canvas was a wall; up here… here the whole _world_ was his canvas. Nature was the first fine art and getting it down into a sketchbook was just as difficult as signing his name four feet across and two feet high in a multitude of colors _without_ getting caught by the police or the cameras.

Small lips twisted into a grin as they neared the house.

"Hiccup?" Well, the silence couldn't last forever.

"Yes dad?"

The burly man sighed and stopped the car. "I hope you don't mind if I head back to the reserve again—"

Hiccup shook his head. "No, no… it's fine." His eyes roamed over the unchanged building, gaze pausing on the porch that was all the way around and the stairs leading up to it. "I'll be all right, don't worry." He moved to get out of the truck when a hand on his shoulder made him pause. The teen jumped at the unexpected contact, but relaxed.

"As always, there's food in the fridge and pantry." Nodding, the teen grasped his duffle and watched his father get the rest of his luggage, making his way up the creaking, wood stairs.

Stoick fumbled with the keys for a moment before finding the right one and clicking the door open. Knowing that his son would put his things where ever he felt like they were needed, he left the baggage beside the door. "Well, I'm off."

Nodding, Hiccup turned to face him. "Yeah… okay. See you later?"

"Always." Then he was gone, and the teen listened as the truck grumbled back to life and pulled away. Grinning, Hiccup turned away from the door, looking around at the cabin interior. His father had always been proud of the strong sense of nature and it was repeated in his home with figurines and lamps of bears, a painting (that Hiccup did himself) of an eagle above the fire place, and a comfortable wool blanket with the bust of a wolf. There were some new additions that hadn't been there before; such as the native American knife stand and the now four-foot-tall wooden grizzly next to the kitchen with a sign in it's paws that said "Feed the Bears" and an innocent grin on its face.

Grinning, Hiccup turned away from the family room to the stairs leading into the second story room. They creaked under his feet in welcome as he sprinted up, pausing on the landing, facing the hallway. His father's room (the master bedroom) was across from all the others and the teen's room was the farthest from the stairs—easily recognizable by the Dragon poster taped across the front. Grinning, the redhead readjusted the bag on his shoulder and made his way towards it. The door swung open easily, with the room smelling of oil paint and graphite. It had been decorated simply; there were a few figurines of animals on several shelves and sketches taped on the walls. Above the bed was a sign, lopsided, that said "here be monsters".

The duffle dropped with a rustling clank on the bed before he turned to get his other bags… and saw a couple of wrapped packages on the desk. Frowning, Hiccup approached. As his father would never be able to spend Christmas with his son, he always left the gifts in the room until he returned. The teen's small fingers roamed over the top package—small, almost insignificant to the others, and rectangular shaped—before tearing off the wrapping. A giftcard for the nearest art store dropped into his hand.

Lips twisting upwards, Hiccup placed it to the side, next to the others he was saving for a special occasion, and lifted the next package. It was bigger, just as light, and was in a larger box. Ripping off the wrapping, he flipped open the lid, and grinned down at the three sweatshirts. One was black, simple, concise, and with a Zippleback curled upon the front. The gas head had green smoke spiraling out of its nostrils. Underneath it, the words "light my fire" were written in large, cursive letters. The next was a navy blue with nothing on it except for the Reserve's dragon claw logo spread across the back and the last, the last was a couple of different greens with a texture in the colors that made them look like scales. Grinning widely, he set them out on the bed while pulling the black one over his head, feeling the beanie slip down before he righted it.

The soft inside made him grin before picking up the third gift. It was light and boxy—again—and Hiccup unwrapped it quickly, his lips twisting into a smile. A multitude of colors sat out before him along with six different brushes, a sponge, and other items he used when painting. Grinning, he placed that besides the giftcard and eagerly ripped open the next. It was the same type of kit, only with the different pencils, a kneading eraser, blending stick, and a large batch of sandpaper.

It was settled on top of the paints before Hiccup turned to the last two presents, both of them were unusually heavy, but he went to the lighter one. It was a tablet. Grinning widely, Hiccup looked over the box, his eyes glinting. For years he'd asked for one, but now… Sighing, he realized that his father didn't have a computer in the house, and the nearest one would be at his mom's apartment, and even then, it was so out dated he was in wonder whenever it actually worked. Slowly his gaze settled on the last gift. It looked innocently enough _could it be?_ Dropping the tablet on the bed, the teen tore through the paper and grinned. It was.

The black leather bag was unzipped heartily, revealing a cord, a few flash drives, some CDs to install programming, and a slick, black computer. It was obviously used from the sight of the almost unnoticeable place where the stickers had been, but the laptop was just what he needed; and there was no more need to use the fossilized machines in the libraries.

Laughing in positive glee, the teen placed it on his bedside table and began to rearrange all the presents; hanging up the sweatshirts, opening the drawing and painting kits, sliding the supplies into the art bag in his duffle, and getting the tablet and instructions out of the box.

All trash was tossed into the dumpster out beside the garage before Hiccup settled in the kitchen, still giddy over his new computer. Deciding to at least get something to eat—jet lag had dragged him back a bit, it would be eight in Pennsylvania—the redhead made himself a sandwich and nibbled on it happily, staring into the darkened fireplace. Outside, the light was already fading because of the mountains blocking the sun. It brightened the inside of the room with spectacular oranges and purples before they blended together to make some sort of odd rainbow.

Before long, the teen found his striking eyes closing, his body relaxing back into the couch until he fell asleep, the plane ride having sucked all of his energy out like a straw and the excitement wooed to the exhaustion. Curling up on his side, tucked neatly into the armrest and cushions, Hiccup was drawn into his dreams.

Stoick grumbled half to himself and partially to the morons now dragging a large cage out of the truck. His lips were in a tight scowl, blue eyes narrowed as the men man-handled the crate making the creature inside roar in fury and hatred. When they finally got the box off the ramp, he motioned a few of his fellow caretakers forward. "That is enough, Gentlemen," his voice was polite, but with a sharp under current of warning. "My employees will take it from here."

Spitelout nodded, his face twisted into an unreadable expression before he took one of the handles. A few others rose to help him, and they gently lifted the crate off the ground, feeling the beast inside pace back and forth impatiently. Staying behind for a moment just to sign off on the papers, Stoick followed them to the enclosure, watching as the crate was placed on the grass and everyone but Spitelout stepping back.

A deep breath was taken is as one when the locks clicked and the end fell to the ground. For a moment, there was absolute silence, before a terrible roar almost burst their eardrums and a black form burst out, landing on the ground, spitting and snarling. Stoick motioned everyone to move away just incase the dragon decided to breath fire which most tended to do. Instead, this one leaped up, wings spreading, as it got as far from the humans as it could.

"Congratulations," Gobber said behind him, watching the beast pace angrily on the wall, sending toxic green glares their way every so often. "You are now the keeper of a very esteemed Night Fury."

Despite the way that the dragon was behaving, Stoick grinned. "Indeed." It was only after he had checked upon the care for the dragon that the burly man was able to head back home wondering, perhaps, if Hiccup had liked the gifts he would have received at Christmas if his mother hadn't blocked everything he sent to the boy that wasn't a letter. Pulling up to the garage, he noticed the house was quiet and dark, but it didn't bother him that much.

The door opened easily, and he saw Hiccup's luggage still by the threshold. Frowning he walked further into the room before his eyes caught sight of a curled form on the couch. Easily, he turned on a lamp, smiling down at the peaceful expression on his son's face. Picking the wolf blanket up off the couch, he spread it over the teen.

"Sleep well, son."

* * *

Well, there it is. The second chapter. It makes me happy. Oh, and the gifts _do_ serve a purpose besides making Hiccup happy. Cha.

As always; Review and point out mistakes if you find any!

Happy Reading!

Grim


	3. Rhythm

**Rhythm**

_The visual flow through a work of art that is incorporating repetition_

The Haddocks were up before first light was shining into the house. It was already eight, but the mountains blocked the sun from getting anywhere, as usual. Hiccup had been stirred awake by his father rustling about the house but, no matter how much the man tried, his large form would never be completely silent. Grumbling and rubbing at his eyes with the Zippleback sweatshirt, the teen stumbled into the kitchen, eyes narrowing at the bright light. "Hmm… Dad?"

Stoick turned away from the fridge, looking over his son before a wide smile split his face. "Good morning, Hiccup!"

The teen stared at him for a long time, eyes wide and mouth agape before sitting heavily down at the table, mumbling darkly about "morning people". A plate slid towards him, decorated with the typical American breakfast—steaming eggs, crispy bacon, and three pancakes—and a fork on the side. Blinking, Hiccup began to eat almost mechanically, his green eyes followed his father as he got ready for the day; packing a lunch, filling a thermos, and filing all the papers into a manila folder.

Finally, Stoick paused, looking over his small pile and nodding before turning to his finishing son. "Are you going to come down today?"

Hiccup opened his mouth to deny before closing it, shrugged, and nodded. Taking his plate to the dishwasher, he didn't see the surprised, but glad, expression on his father's face before heading up to his room. The duffle was still on his bed from where he had left it the day before, and he unzipped it slowly. His cans of paint, along with all his other supplies, were organized neatly and he slid one of his smaller sketchbooks into the space between the art bag and canvases.

Turning to the bathroom, he brushed his teeth, changed out of his dirty jeans and into a new pair, before sliding the bag over his shoulder and racing down (picking up his discarded beanie lying next to the couch on his way out and stuffing it neatly into the hoodie's pocket) to find his father already hitching the trailer to the truck. Stoick glanced at the bag in his son's hands with curiosity before leaving it alone, instead letting the Ford dip slightly under the attachment's weight. Both blocks of wood were taken from before the wheels and thrown in the bed before the burly man jumped up into the driver's seat.

The ride was in complete silence, Hiccup blinking tiredly as he watched the landscape slowly brighten as the sun rose higher. His lips quirked upwards at the ends as they rounded corners, passing by sharp mountain cliffs that had been fenced off to stop rocks from crumbling down onto the unsuspecting cars. At last they turned onto the dirt road leading to the reservation, and the teen let a full blown smile brighten his face; the place hadn't changed at all, still undeniably rugged and rural. Stoick pulled into his regular parking spot and stepped out, followed swiftly by his son who carried his bag and walked in his father's footsteps up to the main building.

To Hiccup's knowledge, the dragon reserve consisted of four separate areas. The first, which where he was now, was simply the educational aspect that wasn't done in the field. Here scientists studied underground and visitors could find informational pamphlets and books along with organizing a tour of the penned dragons (the ones injured, dangerous, or new ones who needed to get use to their new environment).

Further out, located slightly deeper in the alley, were the pens. Each one at least a square acre, with a barrier between them and the visitors made of material depending on the dragon. With twenty of the enclosures overall, the dragon keepers were well equipped for any type of accident—human-like being involved or no.

Past that (and through a magical barrier) was the open reserve, hosting the dragons that now called the mountains their home. Stretching over two hundred acres and up to the stratosphere, the dragons were well quipped and well fed by their habitat, never needing the Keepers' help at all except when one of them were injured or had died.

Last were the dwarf caves. Having been abandoned and virtually indestructible, Hiccup had always played in the caves as a child. It had only been recently (about three years ago) that it was steadily being built into a fortress. If they needed to, The Keepers could move ever single dragon into the caves and go into lock down in under forty-five minutes.

Hiccup nodded as he past his father—who was holding the door open—and continued beyond the empty secretary desk to the back room. Gobber was already at one of the tables, sipping a large mug of black coffee (the teen could smell it from a few meters away) and looking over the newspaper. When Stoick lumbered in, the blonde looked up, grinning at his friend before catching sight of the small teen.

"Well, if it isn't the bundle of trouble! How's your mum?"

Grunting, the teen flopped down into one of the metal chairs. "Fine."

Raising an eyebrow, Gobber placed his newspaper down. "Just fine?"

"Mmhmm… what's that?" He pointed to the blurry picture on the page the blonde had been reading.

"Just one of those old protests," Hiccup's green eyes narrowed. It didn't look like any type of protest he'd ever seen. "You know how they are."

The teen's gaze flashed between the two now uncomfortably stiff men. "Yes, almost too well…" his voice trailed off before, shrugging, Hiccup stood and grabbed his bag, making his way out of the break room and into the main tourist shop again. "I'll go help with the feeding, if you don't mind." He called over his shoulder before ducking around the side, keeping one ear on the vent that led into the room.

"Think he should know?" _What?_ Hiccup, sat down slowly, grinning innocently at the scientist that walked by, white lab coat tossed over one arm. The teen slowly pulled out his sketchbook.

"Would you want _your_ son to know?"

Gobber snorted. "Your logic has a flaw, please find another."

Hiccup heard his father sigh and sit down in the black, creaking chair in the far corner. "Look, you've seen what he's like—" The teen scowled angrily, "—Head up in the clouds, never takes anything seriously… he's always been _different_ and the witch said he would have gotten his ability this year."

"And you don't see it," the blonde said. "Stoick, you can't protect him forever, and so what if he hasn't outright shown that he has an ability? The kid's gonna be a man soon; you can't stop that." There was a sound like fingers drumming against an arm rest.

"Look, I just want to get to know my son better—" Stoick was cut off when the door opened. "Good morning, Spitelout."

Groaning, Hiccup forced himself to his feet. He would learn nothing from them now except the damage done on the cages overnight. Running his small hand through auburn hair, the teen made his way towards the feeding center. Giving a two-fingered salute to the guard, he pushed his way through to one of the carts, ignoring the hustling around him.

It had always been one of his favorite jobs; feeding the dragons. Picking up the list sitting on the basket, he filled the first half with chicken and the last part with fish. In the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of blonde, and when he completely turned, he looked over and caught the Grecian Flag blue eyes of Astrid. Hiccup tore his gaze away, sighing before pushing his cart out onto the path leading to the pens.

For once, he had hoped _not_ to see her this summer—a simple remembrance to what he could _never_ have—and just be left alone by her fellow practically worshiping followers. Granted, Astrid wasn't bad herself, it was the two blonde twins—Ruffnut and Tuffnut—and Snotlout that really bothered him. Fishlegs was okay, if a bit too _Dungeons and Dragons_ for his taste.

The kid hung around _real_ dragons, why would he play a—what was it called again? Oh, right—Role-playing game about them? Or with them… whatever. Hiccup never played it and didn't really know what it all was about anyway. The burly kid had never picked on him though, for which he was glad.

Listening to the cart's small wheels squeak as he made his way towards the nearest enclosure, Hiccup checked the paper in his clenched hand. Pens three, six, nine, twelve, and fifteen were listed and he turned his cart to Old Faithful's pen—the Thunderdrum that was nearing the last seasons of her life, and the keepers wished to make the elderly dragon as comfortable as possible.

Taking the keys off his cart, he flipped through them before finding the right one and sliding it into the lock. "Hey, girl." He murmured gently, his lips twisting upwards as the large, bulky creature raised her grey and blue head. Yawing—and showing off rows of lion-like teeth—Old Faithful rose on her small legs and approached him slowly, sniffing his pale hand before her attention turned to the container of chicken. Laughing lightly, he pulled out four of the birds, placing them out before backing out, locking the door securely behind him.

In number six was an injured Bone Napper Hiccup had never seen, knowing they like fish more than chicken, he tossed four salmon towards the beast and quickly moved away. An injured dragon was a dangerous dragon; they were often grumpy and hated being around anyone's presence too long. It was always best to feed them swiftly.

Nine was a tall, lanky Whispering Death they had named Lucky that had been half starved and abused before they got their hands on him a year ago. Now he ate the food quickly and sniffed the boy, his distrustful opposition gone. He was just about healthy enough to head out into the wild reserve, but first the keepers would have to see how he behaved around others of his own kind. If the reaction was violent, Lucky would stay in the pen for the rest of his life or until he was strong enough to defend himself against the constant brawls erupting in his kind.

Hiccup was looking forward to twelve; it hosted a young family of Terrors that simply refused to leave. The mother and father (Thunder and Lightning respectfully) had been taken in because of pregnancy, and after having her eggs and letting them hatch, the family refused to leave. He left them two whole chickens, watching as they dived and ripped the meat apart with their toothless mouths.

When he approached fifteen, however, Hiccup frowned. The number had been underlined a few times and circled which could mean it was a new dragon, and one that could be highly dangerous. Sighing, the redhead made his way over, looking into the pens as he went, smiling at the dragons he knew, and filing the others away for later. The keys jingled as he slid the right one into the lock, listening for the trademark click. Slowly, the teen eased the door open, looking around, and seeing nothing. His eyebrows drew together in confusion and, as he stepped into the enclosure, he shut the door behind him.

The cart was stopped in the center. Hiccup glanced around, looking for whatever dragon was supposed to be there, and seeing nothing except for a big, black rock. Perhaps the keepers had—_whoa_… His green eyes widened then flashed back to the boulder. It was _moving_. A rumble reached him, and one, long, ebony ear rose. Slowly, a salamander head lifted and the dragon's eyes opened.

A shimmering toxic met Hiccup's gaze, locking and holding for what seemed like an eternity. Snorting, the dragon narrowed its gaze before grumbling and rising, turning its back to the teen and trotting as far as it could away, curling up next to the wall. It had a long, thin body and awkward, duck-waddling legs. Two leathery wings curled across the scaled body, with two, smaller curved appendages at the base of the tail, and two rudder fins at the end.

Easing the rest of the fish to the grass (because if it was what he _thought_ it was, then the dragon would only eat fish and had an enormous appetite), Hiccup steered the cart out of the pen and started breathing again when he was back walking down the sidewalk. Noticing Fishlegs as he walked by, struggling with a Nightmare, the redhead handed over the rest of his chicken (to which the larger boy flashed a large grin of relief) and made his way back to the main building.

That was, until something wet, fleshy, and scaly hit the side of his face. Turning around, he met the hysterical Ruffnut with a dark glare, which only sent the twins both deeper into guffaws, holding onto each other for support. Sneering in disgust, Hiccup left the fish where it was, instead choosing to find something to wipe his face with.

Not seeing anything, he shrugged and continued on his way, pushing the event to the back of his mind; the twins had always been like that—rude, inconsiderate, and big sadists, even larger than Snotlout. Parking his cart next to the others, Hiccup made his way upstairs toward his father's office and raised his hand to knock, when voices inside made him pause.

Thinking about the conversation earlier between Gobber and his father, the redhead immediately went to the nearest vent, leaning back lazily, looking much like he was taking a break as his ear caught as much of the conversation as it could.

"—you _know_ what this means Stoick!" There was the sound of something hitting the table, a newspaper? Whatever it was, Hiccup didn't recognize the voice with a slightly twinge of French masking the words. "They're not going to stop until all of us are _dead_!"

"And you will not be making him into a weapon for your disposal!" His father snarled back. "That poor thing has been through enough and we certainly don't need _you_ to give them another reason to hunt them!"

The other man sighed in exasperation. "They will come and kill all of them anyways you stubborn fool!"

"Not if we can teach them!"

There was a cold, heartless laugh that sent a shiver down Hiccup's spine. "What makes you think they would want to learn? They're stubborn creatures—"

"And so, apparently, are you." Stoick cut him off easily, his calm voice making the other silent. "If you cannot respect the ideals this reservation was made for, then you have no business being here. Get out of my office."

"Stoick—"

"_NOW_!"

Hiccup winced at the yell and heard one of the chairs roll back slowly, deliberately. "You're going to be the death of us and of him, Stoick; they'll find your little hideaway." Then, the door opened and shut. Waiting a few seconds, Hiccup stayed where he was before declaring it safe to wander back up to the door and knock.

"Come in."

The teen poked his head around the door, seeing his father sitting in the seat, fingers rubbing against his forehead. His blue eyes brightened, however, when he caught sight of his son. "Hello Hiccup, how was the feeding?"

"Strangely interesting," His green eyes looked over his father, catching the wariness and anger just dwelling below the surface. "Why didn't you tell me there was a Night Fury on the Reserve?"

Stoick groaned and closed his eyes. "I _knew_ there was something I had forgotten about." Sighing, the burly man rolled his shoulders. "He came in last night—"

"Wait, _he_?" Hiccup's eyes grew wide. "How do you know?"

His father grinned at him and raised an eyebrow, eyes opening once more. The teen flushed but motioned him to continue. "He was the urgent business last night and I just wanted to make sure you were settled in seeing how late it was when I got back."

Hiccup nodded in understanding. "Yeah, all right, but a _Night Fury_? Wow, Dad… he's one of the last few hundred left…"

"I know, which we why we've got to protect him at _all cost_," the teen sensed the hidden meaning hidden under the words, but for the life of him, couldn't get what it was. However, he nodded and turned back out of the office, looking back one last time to see Stoick's eyes flash to the window and narrow.

Something strange was going on and Hiccup wanted to know what but first... he needed to get a book on Night Furies.

* * *

How's that for a chapter? Granted, it's only about three thousand words… but hey, it's here! And Hiccup gets a glance at Toothless. Fishlegs, Astrid, and the Twins make a scene (there will be more of them later, out of sight from the adults), and you lot get generally confused by strange voices and half-conversations.

Tell me what you like, what you don't like (I do fix what you people say), and just ramble if you need to.

Happy Reading!

Grim


	4. Pattern

**_ATTENTION! LOOK HERE AND READ!_**

Thank you.

Now, if you read this story while Fanfiction was upgrading everything, please ignore the mistakes. I only realized after it was too late that I had updated the copy I had sent to my friends so that she could look it over instead of the one that she had edited. Please excuase all that crap. This one has a few more information in it that will move along the story, but, if you want, you could probably just go onto the next chapter anyway. For the past two hours I've been trying to get the edited version up to no success.

**Pattern**

_The repetition of elements_

It took Hiccup about forty-five minutes, a chocolate bar, bag of skittles, and many concerned looks from the people passing through to realize there were no books primarily on Night Furies _except_ that there were no books on Night Furies. Hissing in irritation mixed with frustration, the teen rubbed his palms over his face, green eyes glaring at just about everyone and everything. Grumbling, he stomped out of the tourist section of the building, going back to the lower floors.

Almost absently, he grabbed the keys off the cart he had used that morning, stuffing them into his duffle with the rest of his art supplies.

The way to the pens was slightly abandoned. A group was being guided by Astrid and her mother; they were just about the only people there. Hiccup sighed, hooking his thumbs through his belt loops. He has gotten as far as Old Faithful's enclosure before he heard snickering behind him. The redhead turned slowly, knowing already who he was going to see.

Snotlout sneered at him, flanked by the twins. His dark eyes stared out from equally black bangs, muscular arms crossed over his chest. Scowling, Hiccup tensed, waiting.

He didn't have to bare the silence for long.

"So, you came back."

"Obviously," Hiccup deadpanned, one eyebrow rising slowly as he stared at Snotlout in mockery.

Fortunately, the dark boy didn't bristle in anger… but Tuffnut did. Green eyes flashed to the slightly slouched blonde, looking him over, judging, before turning back to the glinting eyes of the ringleader. "Must we teach you to respect your superiors, _again_?"

Hiccup bared his teeth in a ferocious snarl, but it faltered for a moment. The three catching up to him last summer had been one of the reasons why he never wanted to come back to the reserve. Ruffnut smirked, her lips forming identically to her brother's, before she took a step forward, hands clenched. The redhead took a small step back, and like hungry wolves, the two blondes lunged.

Not for the first time, Hiccup was glad he could outstrip a policeman in a chase. He turned on his heel, slid slightly and cut up his jeans on the cement before taking off. The bag pounded on his hip, clanking and clattering noisily, but the redhead didn't care as much as he should; everything in there would be fine.

Astrid's mother wasn't looking when he slipped past her, brushing her daughter before vaulting over the fence blocking pen ten from twenty. The lazy Nightmare inside watched him go, blinking its large, yellow eyes before going back to sleep. Hiccup twisted past nineteen… eighteen… seventeen… He heard Ruffnut howl angrily behind him; she had never been good at getting over fences. Sixteen… one more. He unzipped his bag as he ran, drawing out the keys, thankful that the magic made him move faster over the sidewalk—enchanted to help visitors and their kids through the reservation—before turning around the side of number fifteen, shoving the key into the lock and throwing himself inside. The lock clicked in satisfaction before he fell back.

Curling up on the grass, he listened as the others passed before sitting up, his breathing coming into sharp gasps. Stumbling up to his feet, he looked over and saw the Night Fury glaring at him from across the enclosure. Smiling unsurely, Hiccup moved to one of the larger Spruces where the branches had parted at the bottom, creating some kind of little shelter from both the tourist and the door. Grunting, the teen pulled off his bag, letting it drop to the ground. He rummaged through it, pulling out his sketchbook and the pencil kit his father had given him.

There was a small, ungrateful snarl from where the dragon was, but Hiccup ignored it; the beast wasn't coming closer, and he would be able to get at least some peace. His 4H* pencil scratched over the paper, creating small, pale lines that first seemingly was nothing before turning into a lumbering Night Fury. He made the eyes narrowed and furious, small teeth bared in a dark, Cheshire smile. The awkward legs were crouched, bringing the long tail curling in the air like a serpent.

Something shuffled and he looked up, but couldn't see anything past the needles of the tree. Sighing, he turned back to his image, erasing a few stray marks here, fixing something there before his hand reached back to the art bag, grabbing his 6B* and outlining it with dark graphite.

Soon he was lost in his own little world, blending together the shadows and lighting, creating the small and large ebony scales and leather texture on the half-way unfurled wings. When it was done, he set his sketchbook down, stretching and looked up.

"Holy—!" He almost whished he hadn't yelled when the flat, black ears narrowed across the slim salamander-like back. The dragon had gotten uncomfortably close, but as Hiccup slowly settled down, he realized it seemed less predatorial and more curious. His thoughts went to the article he had read about wolves a few weeks ago one of the girl's in his English class had been ranting about.

People regularly shot wolves not because they were attacking, but because they were naturally curious creatures. They would wander closer just to see what was going on, and most people—especially trigger happy ones—would shoot the canine and say that the beast was stalking them.

Hiccup gave the Dragon a small grin, but something else happened. The Night Fury didn't snarl and it didn't move away. Slowly, the creature sat up, head tilted to the side, eyes slightly squinting as if examining him, before the black lips slowly—and awkwardly—began to curl up.

The Night Fury was, without a doubt, _smiling_ at him. The teen partially noticed that its pointed teeth were not visible and wondered faintly if they were retractable. Hiccup brightened and began to sketch wildly, not caring about which pencil he used, as long as he got the image down on paper. The dragon let his smile drop, placing his head back onto clawed paws. In only a few minutes, the picture was done; it wasn't perfect, but it was done. The teen smiled proudly and looked back up.

Toxic green eyes were half closed, fighting off sleep. Brushing back his hair, Hiccup pulled out his newer paints; deciding to test them as the dragon slumbered. A small water bottle—colors spotted along the side—was pulled out. A simple shake confirmed it was still full of partially clean liquid.

Pulling out a small canvas, the teen moved so he could clearly see the dragon, dipped his brush into the blue, and began the long process. His eyes flickered between his new masterpiece and the Night Fury until he was positive that he could remember the anatomy. The curled body began to take shape underneath pale fingers. Hiccup stuck his tongue out slightly, leaf-like gaze narrowed in concentration.

A bit of white, some black, a hint of bright green, a large patch of brown, and the teen leaned back at last a few hours later, looking over the picture. It was simple, exactly how he was watching it. Shadows peppered by small patches of light swayed lazily across the ebony hide, grass curled around the paws and tail, holding the limbs in an embrace. Entranced with his painting, Hiccup didn't notice that the dragon was no longer in the patch of flattened green.

Frowning, the teen looked out into the enclosure while still sitting, he couldn't see the Night Fury, but again, he couldn't see much of anything else, either. Sighing, Hiccup repositioned his legs, feeling his left slowly fall asleep, before hot air brushed the back of his neck.

So very slowly, Hiccup turned and looked up.

Somehow the dragon had snuck up behind him and was now leaning over his head, curiously looking at the drying paint. The black beast snorted and tilted his head to the side, toxic eyes wide and innocent. Leathery wings opened and shuddered before closing.

Hiccup found himself wondering if dragons' eyes had developed like humans'; in which they could see flat images and process them into three dimensions. By the way the Night Fury was acting, it seemed so. "Do you like it?" He asked, splitting the silence in half. Snorting, the dragon leaned back on his haunches, nodding slowly. The teen blinked in surprise before continuing. "It's you, but I'm sure you know that—"

This time the snort was followed by soft grey, sulfur smelling smoke.

"Of course you do. You're not a stupid dragon." The dragon smirked toothlessly. "How do you do that? Uh, retract your teeth, I mean. Or why?"

Razors suddenly appeared in the gums, flashing white before disappearing.

"I guess it makes you seem weak… do others often misjudge you? Wait… no, that was stupid." Hiccup sighed and turned to look back at the painting. "May I call you Toothless?" There was no answer but the teen took it as a yes. "Where did you come from, Toothless? Wait, that was stupid too…" There was a loud groaning and finally the sound of splintering wood. Frowning, the redhead turned and watched the dragon press a jagged branch end into the ground and drag it across the dirt, spinning this way and that, creating an image.

The leaves brushed Hiccup's auburn hair as they passed before Toothless stopped, purring contently as he looked down at his very own masterpiece. The teen couldn't see anything, so he tried to step into the center, carefully avoiding the lines. It was… the world. A clumsy, wriggled, drawing of the planet. There was one continent, however, that had a large, lopsided ellipse around it.

"Africa? You came from Africa?"

A rumbling purr answered him. Hiccup grinned before his lips twisted into a thoughtful frown. "How can you understand me? Has this happened before?"

Toothless looked him over before slowly shaking his head. A no, then. The two continued to stare at each other until Hiccup realized the sun was setting. Sighing, he started to pack up his supplies, pleasantly surprised when the dragon followed him, but still kept its distance. The painting was handled carefully as he slid the duffle back over his shoulder. "So I'll, uh, see you tomorrow?"

Huffing, the dragon rolled his eyes as if asking "_now where the heck am I gonna go?"_

Hiccup grinned back. "Just checking." Unlocking the door, the boy turned one last time, seeing the dragon curling up in the space he had just left, eyes watching him, before the teen crossed the threshold and locked the door behind him. Whistling, he walked through the pens, but didn't pay attention to them anymore. His thoughts were consumed by the Night Fury—_Toothless_.

He was in such a happy mood that Stoick and Gobber wondered what he had been smoking. The blonde man just grinned after a few minutes though; "I want whatever he's got!" and was smacked roughly by his larger friend. Hiccup was practically bouncing in his seat on the ride to the house, the painting was still in his hands (and he would not let his father see it; at least not yet), and his thoughts were on the dragon.

When they arrived, Hiccup ran straight to his bedroom, deciding that it would be a great time now to install everything. As the laptop powered on, he leaned his painting gently against the wall. It was too bad that he wouldn't be connected to the internet (as there was no wireless card), but the CD titled the_ Dragon Manual_ from Spitelout made up for it.

The man had been a computer geek before he was hired by Stoick. Growing up in San Diego, he had seen first hand of what people could do with programming and had taken classes on it since he had been in Middle School. Now he had created an easy system kind of like Google Earth, only with dragons. Every species and all that they knew about them was in that one place and could be updated by the owner with their own discoveries. There was a master copy at the Reservation where scientist upgraded it almost every hour. It was accessible through the main website, but Hiccup would have to make due with the one he now had.

Setting all the boxes to the side, the teen started with Microsoft (knowing it was probably one of the bigger files and he would really like Xcel right about now). The others were placed in importance order; spyware, anti-virus, and cleansing programs were first followed by Adobe and the tablet, and last was the _Dragon Manual_. Waiting for it to finish installing PowerPoint, Hiccup sat down at his desk—pushed the leftover papers and random, unfinished work to the side—and flipped open the black spiral bound notebook that had been underneath it all. He wrote _Night Fury_ at the top in lopsided letters and tapped his pencil against the paper.

It was a slow process; between his computer and the paper as he made a list about everything he had known about the dragon, what he had heard, and the tiny tidbits he had learned that day. An hour before midnight, the laptop finally chimed to let him know it was done with the _Dragon Manual._

Only Hiccup wasn't awake to hear it; snoozing with his head in his hands, propped up on the desk. After twenty minutes, the glow from the monitor turned black, cascading the room into darkness.

Outside, the quarter moon received the same fate, only it wasn't natural.

The mountains grew deathly silent; it seemed as if the world had been frozen. Birds fidgeted and rustled, but none cried out. The crickets and deer stayed still, fearful of something that was pure instinct. Wolves that had been closing in on prey perked up their ears and fled with those they had been chasing.

In the reservation, Old Faithful gave a piercing shriek, her circular mouth trembling with the force of her last great scream before she was silenced, but it held its purpose.

The Night Fury rose, his body one with the darkness as he waited, toxic eyes gleaming, watching… waiting…

* * *

"Hiccup! _HICCUP!_" With a start, the teen fell out of his chair. It was still night outside, and a glance towards the clock showed that it was four with bright, neon blue lights. A steady banging awoke in his ears and he turned towards the door with bleary eyes. Grunting he opened it, glaring at his father.

"_What_?"

Stoick was already dressed, his expression serious. "I need you to come with me."

"At four in the morning?" What could possibly be wrong at four in the morning? What an ungodly hour. But the teen grabbed his bag, shut the laptop, and followed his dad. There was no breakfast this morning, just a quick movement to the truck. Hiccup's brain was slowly catching up to his motions. "What's going on?"

His father didn't answer, instead concentrating on the road, his knuckles white. For a moment, the teen was afraid he'd break the steering wheel. The truck roared down the road about twenty over the speed limit and leaving Hiccup hanging on for his life whenever they rounded a corner. "Dad!" He shouted when they came dangerously close to one of the edges, the only thing between them and a long fall to the ground below was a steel bar. Stoick grunted and drove a bit closer to the yellow line, his blue eyes narrowed angrily.

They got to the Reservation with record timing; the place was lit up like the Superbowl. Hiccup made his way out of the car, ignoring the building and going straight for the fence blocking them from the pens. It was too easy for him to leap up, grasping the edge with his fingers, and then pulling his body over. Stoick took to the building, his son seeing him disappear through the doors before he landed, knees bent and palm on the grass.

Roars, screeches, and yells met his ears once he had passed the magical barrier keeping them from the ever searching eyes of radar and planes above. Fire burst up into the sky followed by another burst some ways away. _What happened?_ Hiccup found himself next to Fishlegs soon enough, the boy was pushing a cart filled with water and _bandages_? The redhead felt his stomach clench in fear and he pushed his way through the keepers. It seemed like an eternity before he reached number fifteen and realized where all the screeching was coming from.

Toothless hit the barrier to his enclosure with enough force to make it glisten and flash—a purple shockwave flowing over the rest of the magic from where the Night Fury had hit it. Hiccup pushed one man out of the way, watching as a blast of blue flame exploded on one of the walls, making the stone crumble slightly. But the dragon was acting strange… clawing at his neck—rolling over—before slamming into the wall again.

Green eyes lit up in realization, seeing something silver glisten in the artificial light that made the surrounding mountains invisible. "Excuse me—pardon—move—_GET OUT OF MY WAY_!" The Keepers stepped back, letting him race towards the door. Feeling his pockets, he was glad he hadn't changed, pulling the ring of keys out. He placed the right one in the key hole and turned. It clicked and he pulled—

It didn't open. Scowling, he did it again, this time the metal swung forward and Hiccup raced inside, watching the dragon once again roll on the ground, howling, tail thrashing angrily on the ground. Black talons dug deep trenches in the soft earth. The teen got as close to the thrashing creature as he could, seeing something dark and pulsing around the Night Fury's neck. "I need a knife!" Hiccup cried over his shoulder. "A magical one!"

"I got one!" Someone yelled and a short, stubby man ran up, holding out a switchblade. Looking over him, the redhead realized the man was actually a dwarf.

He could trust a dwarven blade. Nodding thankfully, Hiccup turned towards the dragon. The toxic gaze met his, holding steady before they closed and Toothless hit the wall again. "Hold—stay still Toothless!" The teen ordered softly, waiting for the dragon to hit the ground again before making a grab—

Pale fingers wrapped around leather that stung and hissed, burning through his skin. Hiccup swallowed the scream building in his throat, flipping the blade open, sliding it between the strange device and the ebony scales, and began to saw. It was a slow process, with the teen feeling his skin blister and burn before going numb. When he began to think that the material would never give way, and Toothless rose on unsteady wings, about to hit the barrier once more, it snapped.

Both teen and dragon fell and hit the ground harshly. Throwing the collar far away—where it landed with a soft hiss and turned the grass to ash—Hiccup curled up onto his knees, staring at the ugly, blackened skin. His breathing came unevenly, eyes wide until a soft sniff made his eyes rise.

Toothless leaned over him, whining in worry before a large, forked tongue flicked out, brushing up against the redhead's hand. It burned, but not as harshly or destructively like the strange collar, but more pleasant. Sighing, Hiccup let his eyes close and felt the wetness spread across his fingers. Slowly the pain ebbed away until all that was left was a dull throb. Green flickered open when the dragon rumbled, moving away and turned down to see his reddened hand—no longer burnt or black—almost fully healed. Holding his arm close, he watched the dragon with something close to awe.

Until he realized the beast was also covered in black, sticky blood.

* * *

*4H~ An artistic pencil with hard lead that creates soft lines that are easily erasable.

*6B~ An artistic pencil with soft lead that creates hard, dark lines that are used for blending shadows and outlining objects.

Ah, yes, an ickle cliff-hanger. Don't you all just hate my guts? Anyway, you could probably figure out Hiccup's ability in this chapter (it was about a paragraph long) and there's lots of Toothless!

By the way, Toothless still has his tailfin because Hiccup didn't shoot him out of the sky. This is their friendship on completely different terms. Oh, and confused about the collar and the blood? Well, stay tuned!

As always; tell me what you think, or if you just want to talk and ramble, I'm okay with that too *grins and looks straight at Brickwall847*.

Happy Reading!

Grim


	5. Emphasis

**Emphasis**

_Making an element stand out using other elements or principles_

Hiccup stared at the black liquid slowly dripping down the dragon's body before lunging to his feet. His expression turning to one of horror, "T-_Toothless_?" The toxic eyes turned to him, but as the teen looked over the dragon, he could see no injury except for the scorch marks across the scales. Someone grabbed the redhead, forcing his hand into their eyesight. Yelping, he turned with the motion and realized that the dwarf was back, looking over his hand before shaking his heavily bearded head. Trembling, Hiccup tried to hand back the knife and saw that whatever that thing was—it had melted the metal partially.

"Where's my son? _Hiccup_!" The crowd parted like the red sea and Stoick towered over them, Gobber following at a fast hobble. His blue eyes moved over his heavily breathing son, whose gaze made him turn to the now still Night Fury. The man pushed through those before the door and raced inside, looking over his only child with relief. "Are you unharmed?"

Nodding with a sigh, Hiccup shrugged off his father's concern. "Yeah, dad, I'm alright. But—"

Stoick spared a glance to the blood covered dragon. "He's fine."

"He's covered in blood! Or do you not see that?!"

The father scowled and the teen shrunk under his harsh gaze. "Of course I see that; dragon blood is _yellow_, Hiccup." Stoick sighed. "Whoever he got probably won't survive to the—what is _that_?"

Green eyes followed his gaze to the smoking grass and leather collar. Now that Hiccup wasn't touching it, he could see the silver around the edges, writing harsh runes along the side. "It was on him, dad. He was going _crazy_."

"And no wonder." Hiccup yelped and turned, his wide gaze turning to the elder looking over them, leaning on a rickety staff. She bared uncomfortably long canines at him before looking up at his towering father with cloudy, blind eyes. Her name was Elizabeth Bronte, and ever since the redhead had first met her, he had a healthy amount of fear and respect for the Black Witch. The elderly woman was just a disguise to hide her own, fair skin that hadn't aged since the 1600's. "It's one of those Silver Braces." She sniffed and grimaced in disgust. "A rather nasty one, too."

"Can you trace it?"

Hiccup scowled, crossing his arms over his chest.

The witch sighed. "It wouldn't matter; the dragon has her blood all over him."

Everyone turned to stare at Toothless who was now, unsuccessfully, trying to get the blood off of him. It took a few moments for Hiccup to realize that it had smeared all over him as well after he had latched onto the beast. His jeans were spotted but, luckily, it didn't show up as much on his sweatshirt. A sudden, deep-throated snarl made his look up quickly and watch the Night Fury back away from one of the keepers.

"Hey!" Hiccup cried in exasperation, quickly running over and pulling the foolish man back when Toothless snapped angrily. "What — are you _crazy_ or something?" The terrified man stared at him with wide, blue eyes before they flashed to the dragon that was steadily calming when he caught sight of Hiccup. "Moron… get back!" Watching him scramble away, the teen sighed and turned to the Night Fury, holding up his no longer injured hand. "Hey buddy."

Toxic eyes looked over his shoulder, narrowed slightly, before turning to the teen. The pupils dilated and Toothless gave him the smile that earned him his name before his lips fell back into the custom, dragon grin that seemed to be on all their mouths. Hiccup could absently hear his father in the background talking to Elizabeth, but right now, all that mattered was the middle-sized ebony dragon. The redhead dropped his hand and was surprised when the Night Fury's eyes followed it as if to make sure there was no lasting damage before flickering back up to the slightly freckled face.

"Thanks," Hiccup whispered, and cleared his throat harshly afterwards, the word rubbing at the back of his vocal chords for some strange reason.

"_You are—_" The rest of the sentence was cut off by a soft growl.

Green eyes flashed and widened, Hiccup's mouth dropped open until he looked like a goldfish. "I—just—you—did you just _talk_?" He whispered, looking over his shoulder before turning back to the seemingly smirking dragon.

A low purr shook the beast's powerful body. "_Yes._" Now he was certain the dragon was smirking at him. "_We spoke before_."

"Not really," It was less of words with the dragon and more body language. "So, what, you can speak English?"

Snorting, the Night Fury shook his round head. "_Of course not. You're speaking Dragonese_."

Luckily, the long black tail caught the teen when he fainted and slowly lowered him to the ground.

* * *

Hiccup's eyes fluttered open with a groan. He was on one of the beds in the main building, the teen figured; the mattress was uncomfortable. Sighing, not being able to stand the rough and hard padding, the redhead pushed himself up, swinging his legs over the side. It was only when he caught sight of the flaking black smears on his pants that the memories came rushing back… in all their sheer madness.

Groaning, the teen rested his head in his hands. So it hadn't been a dream of even some crazy hallucination. Sighing, Hiccup pulled back, looking over his completely normal hand. The redness had vanished a long time ago it seemed. The redhead glanced around the room, taking in the boring, grey walls before he realized something that made him moan softly and close his eyes in exasperation; he had fainted. In front of everyone. He climbed up onto unsteady feet, rubbing at his eyes and yawning.

Hoping he wouldn't see anyone (but knowing that wouldn't happen) Hiccup stepped out of the sleeping quarters. The lab was mostly empty except for two women speaking in hushed tones over cups of coffee in the corner. Hoping up the stairs two at a time, he passed Azaleas—Astrid's mother—on her way down. She gave the teen a small smile. Nodding back politely, the teen continued upward, bursting out in the first floor hallway. At a slower pace, he approached his father's office and knocked.

Nothing.

Hiccup pushed the door open, looking past it into the empty room. Whistling, he saw the car keys on the desk and went to grab them before something else caught his attention. Yellow—slightly brown—paper peaked out from where it looked to have been shoved in unceremoniously. The tune died on his lips and green eyes turned to look over at the door. No one was there, so he stepped forward, opening the cabinet.

There were newspapers. Tens of hundreds of them. Hiccup shuffled through them and picked out three (one at the front, the middle, and the back), rolling them up and sliding them underneath his sweatshirt before rearranging the first one (which happened to be the one Gobber had been reading the day before) and closed the filing cabinet. Then, whistling again, he walked back out the door, shutting it behind him and swinging the keys around his finger. He nodded politely to the secretary and made a b-line to the Ford once he had passed the doors.

Hiccup grabbed his duffle from the back seat, unzipping it harshly to stuff his stolen prizes inside, before swinging it over his shoulder. At a more leisurely pace, he made his way back to the building and set the keys on his dad's desk. Spitelout saw him on the way out, and the teen gave the tall man a two fingered wave before turning in the direction of the mountain casting a shadow across the meadow.

The entrance to the dwarf caves was small and almost invisible due to the amount of rocks that had fallen across the hole, but Hiccup managed to squeeze through. He checked the time on his quickly dying phone—ten forty-five—and reached for the small flashlight. It clicked on and shuddered for a moment before steadying. The teen started the descent, seemingly taking random turns and crawling through holes just big enough to fit Toothless in. Finally, he came upon his destination.

It was as round as any cave could get, but with a hole in the ceiling (leading who knew where). Jagged walls had been sandpapered smoothed after a few eons of work and they glistened and shined; mica hidden behind graphite.

There was a crude desk in one of the corners, a few boxes of extra batteries and some supplies next to it. But in the middle was a large, round hole that had been dug into the only patch of soil. Some large logs—partially burnt—were in the middle. Hiccup placed his bag next to the crude furniture before going to the supplies and finding a box of matches. He didn't make the fireplace; the dwarves had, long ago, he had stumbled upon it when he was ten and had come back ever since.

Tossing a few wads of paper in, he struck the match and held it out, watching the white turn steadily black as it licked upwards, consuming its new food. Shaking out the match and tossing it in, Hiccup turned off the flashlight, moving around by the glow of the fire alone. He pulled his bag over, pulling out the earliest of the newspapers and spread it out across his lap.

**Weres bomb London! Blame on Terror!**

_Yesterday at 8:50 A.M. in London _(Hiccup glanced at the date, seeing July 8, 2005) _three bombs went off within fifty seconds of each other on three of the underground trains. A forth exploded an hour later at 9:45 on a double-decker bus in Tavistock Square. The explosives appear to have been made out of home-made organic peroxide-based devices packed into rucksacks and detonated by the bombers themselves; all of which who are counted as dead by the London Police. _

_As of now, fifty-two people are reported dead and seven hundred injured._

_Infamous werewolf Muhammad Khan, with his fellow wolves Shehzad Tanweer and Germaine Lindsay, proceeded into the London Underground, each of them taking a single train in a separate direction. Each of them are notorious for bombings and attacks in the past and the MWL (Magic Watch of London) declare that they "had slipped and dropped [their] gaze for just a moment". _

_Hasib Hussain, however, disappeared after his fellow pack mates had been apprehended had still not been found. When asked, the three had laughed and said, simply, "you'll see." A search went out immediately for the young wolf but due to possible panic situations, the MWL made the decision to tell the police that there was one more suspicious culprit to be found._

_Unfortunately, Hussain was not on a train. Seen leaving _Boots The Chemist _at 9:00 A.M., the werewolf did not get on any of the Kings Cross trains as suspected by caught a double-decker on route to Tavistock Square. His bomb detonated at 9:45 A.M. and the MWL apprehended him quickly, setting him back under watch and in prison with his Alpha and brothers._

_London officials have declared all four dead and each had been blamed on a terrorist attack. _

_Europe will be honoring the victims with two-minutes of silence on July 14._

Hiccup rubbed at his eyes, pressing down on the bridge of his nose, squashing a headache that was forming. Why hadn't anyone told him? His fingers ran over the four faces, each grinning in victory, and felt a twinge of disgust. Leaning back on the palm of his hands, feeling small rocks dig into his skin, the teen looked up at the barely lit ceiling. Even his _mom_ had told him that the London Bombers had been human. What was there to hide? Sighing, he leaned forward again, flipping through.

A pair of vampires had torn a young girl apart in Brazil, a witch had made a child in Africa shoot his mother in the head. Closing his eyes, Hiccup took a few deep breaths, quelling the sickening sensation in his stomach. He had known the world of magic was not as beautiful as the peaceful reserve made it, but this… this was _awful_. In numerous places around the globe, magical beings wreaked havoc on the humans. Massive terror attacks that the government dispelled as their imagination, attacks that _he_ had seen as illogical.

Finally, not being able to deal with it anymore, Hiccup forced himself to his feet and grabbed his bag, leaving the paper on the floor. He tore out his sketchbook angrily and sat at the desk, his face lit up by oranges and red. The teen sat there for a few good minutes before sighing, standing and folding up the newspaper. He would read the rest of it tonight, he decided. Before he tossed the last of his murky, paint-filled water on the fire, though, he looked around.

And grinned.

Reaching into his bag, he flicked on the flashlight and put it at the base of the wall, lighting up his dark canvas. Praying that the dwarves couldn't trace spray-paint, he tied his bandana around his face, picked up the white and shook it harshly, thoughts going over the separate images that he could do. Landing on one, Hiccup began.

The weight of the can was familiar and welcoming, the gentle hiss was music, and the tangy smell was exotic. He covered his mouth loosely with one hand, breathing in fresh air—or as fresh as any air could be in a few hundred year old cave. Then the white was replaced by his trademark green and yellow, scales appearing across jagged letters, an outline of red and yellow followed, burning across the wall, frozen for eternity. At last he turned and picked up the light blue, kneeling underneath the word and drawing. A salamander head, large wings, a finned tail. Navy blue scales, large and small, across the lean body, and black darkened it all. Green went to the eyes, wide with curiosity, and white formed small, razor-like teeth barely noticeable between black lips.

Hiccup finished as his cell phone rang out, telling him it was dying, but he ignored it, picking up his flashlight and shining it directly onto his art.

'Dragon' reached about five feet long and two feet high. Written in simple, jagged letters made out of scales, the word was lit by artificial flames. Underneath it, shining eerily with wetness, was Toothless. He was crouched playfully, head in his paws, behind up in the air and tail curled. His teeth were small and almost unnoticeable, but still glittered in the light. Hiccup grinned, not moving the cloth down from over his mouth. The teen packed up his supplies and threw the water over the fire, effectively killing it before throwing in some dirt and stirring it with a stick, turning the light off to make sure that the embers had all died.

Still smiling like a maniac, he made his way through the caves before being blinded by the sun now high in the sky. Untying the bandana, he slid it back into his duffle before making his way back to the pens, wanting to check on Toothless before going to his father. Pollen was kicked up under his shoes, making the teen sneeze harshly and rub at his nose.

Number fifteen was abandoned (The reservation had closed after the excitement that morning) and Hiccup easily got into the pen. Toothless was slumbering on his back, lazily rolled over as he sunbathed. The redhead laughed softly, and a large ear twitched before the dragon's eerie eyes opened and settle on him. Groaning, the black beast turned onto his stomach, watching him. "_You come with food, human?_"

Even though the words made him start slightly, Hiccup shook his head. "No, sorry. If you're hungry I can go get you—"

He was cut off by a loud snort and Hiccup turned to stare at the smirking Night Fury. "_I was—what do you humans call it?—pulling your arm?_"

"Leg," Hiccup corrected but Toothless huffed, falling back down onto the ground. The redhead noticed that most of the blood had been washed away. They sat in silence for a few minutes, both just spread out in the grass, feeling the Mountain sun warm up their bodies.

Then, Gobber's voice tore them both out of their musing with a loud "Hiccup!"

Said teen sighed and forced himself up onto his feet, swinging his art supplies over his shoulder and looking back at the dragon that had fallen back to sleep. "See you." He murmured gently before going back out, running into Gobber as he turned around Number fourteen.

"Ah! There you are, lad. Well, get moving, I gotta take your sorry butt home." The blonde wrapped his arm around the smaller male's shoulders, dwarfing the teen by his size. They passed a few men and women who had began to camp out in front of a Whispering Death's pen, murmuring excitably to each other.

Hiccup looked up at the man he had learned so much from at an early age, grinning. "My father wants _you_ to take me home?"

Grunting, Gobber nodded sadly. "Aye, the man must have lost his marbles, sticking the two of us in a car together." He winked. "But its better than you staying here until later tonight."

For a moment, the redhead thought about it. "Well, can I ask my dad if I could go home for a bit then come back?" His gaze turned up to the bulky man.

"Sure, I don't see why not. The worst he could say is no, right? Besides, I'll have to go home again anyway so I could pick you up while grabbing some undies."

Groaning, Hiccup ran his hand exasperatedly over his face. "Must you say that?"

"What? Undies?" Gobber snorted, clapping the redhead on the back and almost sending him spiralling into the dirt. "Nah, keeps things interesting."

Hiccup had learned long ago that when Gobber said _undies_ he was actually taking about _bullets_, for what, well, the teen had a fairly good guess after reading the articles today. He looked up at the man beside him in a whole new light; he was willing to guard the reservation as long as he was allowed to, and nothing, not even Stoick, could make him quit his job.

They entered the building in companionable silence until they were outside Stoick's office. Sighing, Hiccup knocked and opened at the go ahead his father gave. The man looked a bit startled to see his son come in.

"I was just wondering if I could come back later?" the redhead burst out in a rush and watched his father frown, circling through the hasty words before, with a slight smile, nodded.

"I don't see why not."

* * *

A big thanks to MissHanyou for being my wonderful Beta (yes, I'm going to inflate your ego until it's the size of Mars) and I know the chapter just kind of… _stops_, but you'll get it once Balance (the next chapter) is posted.

Review, and if you have questions, comments, or concerns… there's a button, right _there_… it turns a light purple when your mouse scrolls over it…

Happy Reading!

Grim


	6. Balance

Thanks once again to the fabulous MissHanyou! XD I still can't believe my computer skipped out on practically an entire paragraph...

It's fixed people! Don't worry.

* * *

**Balance**

_The visual weight of an image using elements_

It was around four when Gobber knocked on the door to pick him up again. The blonde was looking him over curiously - Hiccup had taken the time to take a nap, get a shower, and shove his dirty clothing into the laundry. The redhead ignored it all, having just finished loading the new information about Toothless onto _Dragon Manual_.

Gobber's rusty Toyota shook as it passed over the dirt road and Hiccup grinned as they approached, trying to ignore the cases of bullets in the trunk and the shotgun beside his feet. Thanking the blonde, he popped into his father's office just to announce his presence and turned to head out to the preserve…

Running straight into Astrid.

Yelping, the two of them hit the floor and caused a few of the keepers to come out and see both desperately trying to get away, only to find Hiccup's bag had been tangled with her arm. The redhead's eyes widened dramatically. "Here, uh—no! You're going to rip—" they both fell back, long, pink scrapes on the blonde's skin. Hiccup hit the wall roughly; his head bouncing off and stars erupting in his eyes. Groaning softly, he rubbed the soon to be bruised patch of skin before his eyes turned to the girl.

Astrid was looking over her arm with narrowed, deep blue eyes before that harsh gaze turned to him. The boy rearranged the beanie on his head and sighed. Well, _that_ could have gone better…

"Well, this is unexpected." A soft, French voice purred. Everyone turned to look at the dark haired man leaning against the doorway a smirk curled across his thin lips.

Hiccup sneered, pulling himself up and offering a hand to Astrid, which she ignored. Shrugging, he walked past the crowd and headed down to the feeding area. It was only until he had filled one of the baskets with cod that he realized the voice had been familiar.

It was outside Toothless' pen when he realized it was the same man who had been in his father's office the day before. Sighing loudly, he made his way into the enclosure, "Hey, Toothless." He called to the dragon, curled up tightly. The teen watched as the beast slowly unwound, large eyes blinking up at him in curiosity. "I've brought breakfast." With a grunt, he pushed over the basket, watching as the dead fish slid limply over each other and fought a grimace.

"_Hmmm—FISH!_" The Night Fury was on his feet immediately, bounding over as the teen dove to the side, getting out of his way."_Is that cod? Mmmm…_" His large jaws began to scoop them up, tossing a few upwards and catching them, swallowing the large fish whole.

Hiccup watched him with wide eyes, carefully moving away. "I guess you like cod..."

"_Too busy… eating… go away._" Toothless growled, his words slurred as he chewed up his meal, eyes glazed over in pleasure and hunger.

Hiccup watched him eat, his head tilted to the side as the dragon continued with his messy eating habits. One of the fish snapped nastily underneath the sharp teeth. Finally, when Toothless licked his scaled lips and turned his gaze to the redhead did he speak again. "You done?" He asked sarcastically and flushed when the dragon's gaze narrowed, ears flattening against the black head. Opening his mouth, Hiccup was surprised when he was cut off, the Night Fury sniffing in curiosity.

"_You smell…like magic._"

"How can someone smell like magic?" Toothless shrugged but prowled closer, sniffing curiously and making the teen stumbled back. "You are incredibly unhelpful, you know that? Wait—what are you doing?" Hiccup gasped when the small teeth grabbed onto his shirt, pulling him closer to the dragon's body.

If dragons could roll their eyes, the teen was certain Toothless would have. "_Getting rid of the_ _magic, silly human…_" He rumbled softly, curling his wings around the boy's frail body."_Sit still…_" Toothless ordered as the teen moved around a bit, trying to find a comfortable position in the strange, but oddly pleasing, hug.

Sighing, the teen gave up, resting his cheek against Toothless' chest. "My name's Hiccup."

"_Hiccup? What is that?_" He could feel the voice rumble up through the powerful body.

"My name,"

Toothless snorted. "_Obviously, stupid child. What does it mean?_"

Sighing, Hiccup ran his fingers across the smooth and dry scales covering the Night Fury's stomach. "I—it's a sound when—"

"_No, what does it mean to the people who gave it to you?_"

"Dunno." He shrugged halfheartedly, leaning further into the hug. A strange feeling crossed over his skin, making it flicker and spark. "I never asked."

Toothless moved, rocking back on the heels of his paws, almost standing straight up. "_Hmmm… you are a strange child… attracting such darkness._"

The redhead frowned. "Okay, now you're just messing with me… right?"

"_That's a stupid question…_" Hiccup gasped as something heavy was drawn up and out of his skin, it… it _stung_. For a moment, he sat there, his eyes wide, before violently struggling as it steadily worsened. "_Hold still!_" Toothless ordered sharply, claws closing around his form and the teen had to stop, in fear of the talons digging into his body. Finally, it faded and Hiccup breathed a sigh of relief. The wings and arms fell down from around him. "_There, no more magic._"

Hiccup frowned, hands running over his arms and found he felt lighter than he had since… since that morning. Licking his lips, the teen looked over at the patch of dead grass and knew the Silver Brace would be gone. His eyes moved back to Toothless who was watching him, head tilted to the side, toxic eyes wide and curious.

"Uh, hmmm… thanks."

Snorting, the Night Fury nodded. "_You are Welcome._"

"So, uh, you don't know how I can speak dragonese?"

Toothless gave an overdramatic sigh, his body slumping as his gaze turned up to the sky. "_I thought we've already established that?_"

Hiccup blushed and rubbed the back of his neck, "Well, yeah, but you're a dragon—certainly you know at least something?"

"_I just speak it._" The teen's face fell, and he sighed, resting his head in his hands. "_But I can come up with a theory, if that would make you happy_." Hiccup perked up immediately, listening and watching the dragon rest down onto the grass. "_Most magical children have… special gifts. You, though born to a mage and a human, have a smaller gift; that will be speaking Dragonese. I speak the basic form, as in all languages; it becomes diverse and different over time. For instance, I probably would not be able to understand a Monstrous Nightmare as they come from upper Europe._"

The teen nodded thoughtfully. "Right, so it's like Spanish; there's the one spoken in Spain, the one in Mexico, and the one in Ecuador. They're the same language, but with different accents, words, and ways of speaking."

Toothless looked pleased and purred, "_Exactly_." He said and watched as Hiccup slowly—worrying his lip and glancing back at the dragon—reached for the tail sitting near him. Huffing, the dragon brought it to him, placing it in the teen's lap.

Hiccup beamed and the Night Fury smiled back.

It was only when he was walking back to the Main Building to get more fish that he realized the dragon knew he wasn't fully human… and Hiccup hadn't told him. Shoving the last of the day's fish supply into the basket, the back of his neck prickled, feeling the eyes of someone on him. His back tensed before he turned quickly, brandishing the shovel.

He sighed when he saw only Astrid, leaning up against the wall, watching him through narrowed powder blue tinged with gold eyes. "Don't you know it's rude to sneak up on someone like that?" He asked sharply and frowned when she grinned—not smirked, not frowned, but _grinned._ And it wasn't very friendly either—more like a jaguar about to grab a small animal with its jaws. Hiccup gripped the basket and hefted it up, backing away from her slowly before racing out into the valley.

Sighing, he looked back and saw her leaning against the wall, watching him with slitted eyes. Gulping, Hiccup walked briskly to Toothless, not stopping and _not_ looking back. The dragon perked up happily at the sight of more food, almost pouncing on the boy. The redhead laughed, momentarily forgetting about Astrid and watching the dragon eat.

Pulling out his sketchbook, he started with an idea, eyes flickering to the long back of his… friend? Yes, friend. Hiccup stuck his tongue out in concentration, his eyes wrinkled around the edges as the pencil roamed across the paper. Once he was done with his meal, Toothless perked up, trotting to come closer and see what the boy was working on. Respecting his privacy, the dragon dropped down close, but only so that he could examine the human as he drew.

"_What are you doing?_"

"Drawing." Hiccup answered simply and looked back up at Toothless and grinned shyly. "Just… hopeful wishing I guess."

Tilting his head to the side, the dragon narrowed his eyes, thinking. "_May I see it?_"

Licking his lips, Hiccup looked over the picture before sighing and pushing it across the grass. Humming, the toxic eyes wandered over it. "_It would be a bit more comfortable if you made the straps go across my chest, not the belly._"

Hiccup's head shot up. "You mean, I could actually ride you?"

"_No_," The dragon laughed. "_You would be __**my**_ _passenger_."

And so the two of them talked about saddle designs and materials. Toothless argued that leather would chaff his scales and fur was an appropriate choice. Hiccup said that hair would be itchy for his own skin, so obviously, leather on his side and fur on the Night Fury's would be for the best. The dragon ferociously argued that no metal except for on the clasps be allowed; "they pinch" he said, "and can tear off my scales". Hiccup noted this on the sketchbook and asked the dragon if he was allergic to anything.

"_Idiots_." Had been the reply.

They both laughed at that. As the sun was setting, Hiccup's eyes drooped and he found himself drawn into the tight embrace of the dragon once more, resting his head against the armored chest, and hearing the large heart pound out a soft tango under his ear.

The teen found a small smile stretching across his lips and it stayed there even as the sun disappeared beyond the horizon and the quarter moon rose, once again, only to be covered with darkness.

Beyond the reservations, shadows slunk across the valley. In the main building, the lights died.

* * *

Hiccup groaned, listening to something growl and hiss. It was followed by a soft whistle and a thunk. His green eyes flickered open, seeing that the pen had fallen into darkness. It took a few large blinks before he adjusted to the little lighting and frowned, looking up. Where was the moon? The clouds wouldn't be able to block out all the light… would they?

"_Get OFF!_" Immediately, the teen was on his feet, looking around. His eyes could barely make out the four forms in the darkness—one was Toothless. The dragon was moving almost snake-like, his body weaving between the attackers with ease until on managed to grab him around the neck. "_Stupid, idiotic, wolfman!_" There was a roar of agony and Hiccup heard something rip and tear before the person fell to the ground; the Night Fury hovering over him, snarling angrily. "_Back away—AWAY!_" A burst of blue fire hit another in the chest with enough force that Hiccup heard a few ribs crack.

The teen unzipped his pack and watched one of the figures freeze before turning to him. Its eyes were a pair of scarlet disks before it lunged, running on all fours. Gasping, Hiccup reached in for anything… anything at all—his fingers closed around cold metal. His hand pumped, popped the lid off and—

"ARGG!"

It was a definite _male_ yell—turning girly at the last minute. Hiccup dove out of the way as the man clawed blindly at his eyes before tripping back over a tree root. Licking his lips, the teen saw only one still standing and, in one act born of both stupidity and desperation, he threw the object in his hand at the man. "HIT IT!" He ordered at the dragon, his own voice not coming out human at all, but a large, guttural roar.

Toothless drew in a deep breath and blew out another blue ball as the can soared through the air. Every eye followed it except for Hiccups'—who couldn't see it anyway and just hoped… there was a crack before something exploded in front of the man, blowing him back and making his body crash sickeningly against the wall.

The night fell into silence and Hiccup fumbled around in his bag, grabbing the flashlight and flicking it on. The light landed on the man rolling around on the ground, his clawed hands covering the black smear that stretched across his eyes. Toothless knocked him unconscious with a snarl, revealing that the black paint had gotten the man's iris _and_ pupil, blinding him for life.

Breathing out softly, Hiccup felt rather then saw Toothless curl up around him, purring. "Okay now—my dad… where is everyone?" He realized that they weren't exactly quiet and just the scream from the man would have brought someone running, even if it was just _Gobber_. He shined the light on the door, finding it open. "Come on."

"_Out?_"

"No, up," Hiccup deadpanned. "Of course out!" He rolled his eyes and led the beast through the opening, watching as the dragon had to squeeze through the tight fit. Licking his lips, the teen turned the flashlight off, placing a hand on the Night Fury as they walked through the darkness.

The other pens were silent except for small whispers that came from Lucky. The main building was dark, no light in the windows. The feeding door squeaked lightly as it swung open, just large enough for Toothless to get through. Each of the stairs creaked under the weight of the dragon.

"What's taking them so long?" A hiss came from his father's office.

Toothless bared his teeth, but didn't make a sound.

"Stupid wolves—they'll blow the entire operation!"

Hiccup moved closer and hit something. Biting his lip, he looked down and kneeled, running his fingers over the familiar face of Gobber. Immediately he checked the man's pulse sighing softly when he realized that it was still pumping strongly. It was a few seconds after that he found the gun.

It felt unfamiliar in his hand, weighing much more than the cans in his bag. Fumbling, his finger found the trigger and he stood back up. Toothless looked over him, huffing softly. The door to the office swung open…

"_Vampires_," Toothless hissed. The woman standing in the threshold was unlike anything Hiccup had ever seen. She had long, wiry white hair that split wildly at the ends and looked as if she just ran a brush through it; every single one would come out. Her skin was pale and clammy, looking like a shrunken prune. Her cloudy, dead eyes were sunken into her face, deep, black circles outlining them—and the teen was fairly sure that they were _not_ caused by make-up. A faint sent of rotting meat hit the redhead's nose, making him gag.

She seemed surprised to see him standing there before her eyes landed on the shotgun in his hand. Her lips curled back baring pointed canines—the only two white teeth left—until she caught sight of Toothless who had pressed himself as close to the shadows on the ground as possible, his own gaze shining eerily in the absent lighting.

"Ah, Zach?" Her voice was a whispering croak, sounding like a heavy smoker while her breath made Hiccup's eyes water. "I believe you missed a boy and his, hmm…_pet_." She leered at the dragon, boney fingers curling and relaxing.

"_Who you calling a pet, __**meatsack**__?_" Toothless snarled, his tail looping around and gently brushing the back of Hiccup's legs.

The vampire obviously didn't understand the Night Fury, but she certainly knew the meaning behind the silent raising of the gun. Then, she sneered. "What you gonna do, boy?"

"I'll shoot," Hiccup said, his voice calmer than he felt. As a kid growing up in Philadelphia, he was no stranger to guns; his mother kept a fully loaded rife in her closet and occasionally took him out to shooting ranges. She had told him to never practice on actual living beings, and, even though she was always terrified, to never aim it at a person—or a human look alike. "I can and I will."

"Stop patronizing the poor boy, Bella."

The teen turned to face the man he had seen a few hours prior. His dark hair hung before powder blue eyes flecked with green that seemed to glow by an inner light. Purple and blue sparks flickered to life around his short fingers. He took a step forward, black slacks curling around abnormally thin legs.

Hiccup pointed the shotgun at him. "Don't come any closer—" The teen gasped as the gun was forcibly wrenched from his grasp, pulling him forward and almost knocking him off his feet. It floated in the air before him then spun around, so he was looking into the black eye of the barrel. Taking a shaky step back, the redhead found himself cornered between the wall and the two smiling adults. The man—Zach—stepped up behind the gun, running his fingers over the smooth metal.

"I wonder how many bullets your fragile—"

Toothless sprung. He gave no warning, not even a slight noise before he moved. His body rammed into Zach's, knocking them both back across the floor, sliding into the office. For a moment, the lights flickered and the shotgun dropped to the ground. Hiccup grabbed it and pointed it up, pulling the trigger. The force drove him back into the wall, but as something wet splashed across his face and judging from the angry howl across from him, he knew the bullet had hit its mark.

The teen could hear the dragon and man fighting violently in his father's office, shelves breaking and a cabinet falling over. There was a final roar from Toothless, an angry "_COWARD!_" before the lights turned on. Hiccup cried out, covering his eyes, his only weapon falling to the ground.

Two boney hands tore his arms away, wrapping around his frail neck, pinning him up against the wall. Clawing at the pressure, he watched as the pale face above him twisted into ferocious glee. The image was fading to black around the edges, his movements becoming weaker, eyes fluttering close and face turning from red to purple—then it was gone. Hiccup hit the ground, gasping. His eyes snapped open to see Bella standing—frozen, a horrorstruck look on her face, hands twitching.

There was slick, black blood running from her body; one where a bullet had hit her in the stomach, and another where a long, thin sword was stuck through her chest. Hiccup took harsh, deep breaths; his head spinning wildly from the pressure until—with a sickening slurp—the metal was removed, letting the body drop. The redhead winced when her form hit the ground with a limp thump before looking up at his savior.

And saw Astrid.

* * *

Ho ho ho... didn't expect that, did you? Huzzah! Another Cliffie!

Thanks everyone for your awsome reviews! I'll reply to yours soon enough, so keep your eyes peeled!

Happy Reading!

Grim


	7. Movement

**Movement**

_An action/implied action or how a piece of art guides a viewer's eyes_

"A-Astrid?" Was the first word that tumbled out of Hiccup's mouth—broken and beaten, and was more whispered than said—even as Toothless came through the office door. The blonde looked as shocked as he did, the sword clattering to the ground. Getting quickly up to his feet—making his head spin uncomfortably—the teen leaned forward and steadied her, the Night Fury curling around him, making sure he wouldn't fall over, either. The dragon slowly picked up the dripping blade with his mouth, holding it gently even as the building was steadily getting nosier.

"Anyone get the number on that gryphon?" Gobber groaned, pushing himself up. His gaze landed on the two teenagers and the rapidly healing vampire. He moved faster than they had ever seen him, grabbing the shotgun just as Bella's deadened eyes snapped open. "I would advise you to stay still," the blonde ordered harshly the vampire obeyed as even more adults began to swarm into the hallway.

There was a soft groan from the office and Hiccup watched as his father moved out, rubbing at his head. "Why is my office like a battle field?" Toothless caught his friend's gaze and smirked. "And what the hell is going on?" His blue eyes landed on the woman on the ground, seeing her dark blood covering both his son and Astrid.

The blonde had gained her bearings and, scowling, pushed the smaller teen away, crossing her arms over her chest after she took the sword from the Night Fury.

"Are either of you injured?" Azalea asked, pushing through and quickly checking her daughter over.

Brushing his finger's over Toothless' scales, Hiccup nodded. "I—I don't think so…" he rubbed at his neck when he choked on the word. Already he could tell that there were going to be bruises.

"And what is he doing in here?" Stoick motioned towards the dragon.

"_Saving your sorry hide—_"

Hiccup cut Toothless off, listening as foul words came out from growls and snorts. "There was an attack again, in the pen. I didn't want to keep him there in case others would have come back."

"_Sure you did, and I'm a—_"

"We'll just be going now, then," the teen said, his voice a bit louder than intended, once again covering the sound of the Night Fury's grumbles. He had gotten a few steps when Spitelout stopped him.

The tall man looked over his neck before turning to Azalea. "You might want to come look at this."

Frowning, the woman turned from Astrid and came over, gently moving his head to the side with her fingers. Azalea pressed against one of the forming bruises, earning a soft hiss from the teen and a dark growl from Toothless. She ignored the dragon with ease. "You're a lucky boy, Hiccup. She could have crushed your windpipe."

Toothless shot a look at the boy, lifting his head so his eyes were equal to his neck. Growling, he pressed his nose against the boy's shoulder until Stoick had some of the keepers lead him away and back to the pens, Spitelout in the lead. Both the teens were herded downstairs, into the lab, Bella disappearing from view. Hiccup made sure to be a ways from Astrid, even though it seemed as if the blonde didn't really care anymore.

They sat in awkward silence, neither speaking as they waited for Azalea to come back with a paste for the bruises and a washcloth to wipe off the blood. Finally, Hiccup really couldn't take any more and sighed. "So… where'd you get a sword?"

Her bright eyes turned to him, and the redhead sucked in a breath, examining her gaze with confusion before shaking himself out of it. Maybe it had been a trick of the light… yeah—"From the car."

He really hadn't expected Astrid to answer him, but the boy perked up. "Mind if I ask why you had a sword in the car?"

"_Yes_," The blonde hissed, looking over him.

Hiccup sighed, looking away and twiddling his thumbs, his shoes rubbed against the floor.

"I had fencing practice."

His head shot up, and green eyes stared at her. "With an actual _sword_?"

Snorting, the girl turned away from him. "I never said it was _normal_ fencing, did I?"

With a soft sigh, Hiccup looked away, his thoughts still plagued by her eyes. It was about forty-five minutes later that Stoick came to collect him. His father looked exhausted but smiled at his son. The redhead wished a good night to Astrid, not receiving one back, but that was fine. His duffle had been picked up from where it had been on the floor in the hallway—having fallen off his shoulder when Bella pinned him against the wall.

The rumbling of the truck lured him off to sleep, making his father carry him up to his bedroom.

For the next few weeks, days passed by leisurely. Hiccup rode one of the mountain bikes in the garage to Berk, the closest town, to get into the art shop there, carrying all twelve of his giftcards. He replenished his black spray-paint and bought enough leather for some trial and error. Occasionally, in his free time, he would sit beside Toothless in the pen and read the Newspaper aloud. They both learned about the happenings in the world, and when Hiccup had finished the three, he returned them and grabbed the one Gobber had been reading on the first day.

The saddles that were being made had been hidden in the dwarf caves; each one hanging on the wall. It had taken the teen a few hours to create a few three dimensional designs with the tablet and print them off at the reserve. When he finished the first, he quickly had Gobber take him back to the store where he could buy a package of fake fur in the fabric department. Hiccup had chosen the softest he could find and let Toothless inspect it, getting a warm acceptance from the dragon.

When the days reached the twenty-ninth of June, Hiccup knew it was time to test the saddles and the perfect opportunity came up when the teen had least expected it.

"We're thinking about letting the Night Fury loose." Stoick said, looking over his son as they drove to the reserve.

Hiccup perked up immediately, looking back questionably at his dad. "Like, loose into the reserve?" His face split into a wide grin. "Cool."

The large man smiled happily and with relief glinting behind his eyes. "Ah, yes and, well, the Keepers were wondering if you would like to lead him out."

For a moment, Hiccup stared at his father in disbelief then nodded frantically. "Yes, of course! I would be honored!" He grinned widely, face glowing with happiness.

Stoick laughed and ruffled his son's hair. "Spitelout was sure you would be happy to do it," he said and pulled into the parking lot. There had been a few changes in the past few weeks, including a heightened security. Gobber was now in charge of it all, ruling over his victims like a dentist over teeth. But right now, more people were moving out towards the pens. Hiccup followed his father, twisting through the crowds, noticing they had mostly gathered around number fifteen.

Even the other dragons were interested; it seemed, whispering excitedly through the walls of their pens to each other. Thunder and Lightning had found their way to the top of the barrier, watching the proceedings and clinging to the magic until Elizabeth sent a mild shock along the edges, making them fall back and fly instead.

"They soak up magic like a sponge with water," The witch grumbled as she passed, but winked at Hiccup.

The redhead followed his father straight into Toothless' cage. Snorting, the Night Fury immediately perked up. "_Human!_" He got to his feet, shaking his body like a wet dog. "_Do you bring fish?_" Wide eyes turned to see all the others following the boy. "_What are __**they**_ _doing here?_"

Hiccup walked closer, leaning towards the ear. "It's your 'letting loose' ceremony. They're going to release you onto the reservation."

"_Really?_" The dragon snorted and looked over the duffle on his friend's shoulder. "_I assume you have everything?_"

"Of course," the teen said, scratching behind the dragon's ears and listening to him purr loudly. "It's all in the caves."

Toothless hummed and his head perked up as Stoick's voice boomed over the crowd. "Ladies and Gentlemen! Keepers of Berk Reservation! I am proud to announce that the first Night Fury—" A cheer rose up and the large man smiled, letting the groups holler. "—ever to be on this land will now be set back into the wild!"

"Damn straight!" The crowd laughed at Gobber's out burst. The blonde was leaning against Number Fourteen, grinning.

"I welcome Hiccup, my son, to do this honor, but before we do so, let us remember the few brave souls that died this past month." For two minutes, there was silence. Even the dragons quieted and left the mockingbirds to sing a sorrowful song. At last, Stoick raised his head, motioning for the keepers to open the much larger doors leading out into the valley. "Hiccup?"

The teen felt everyone's gaze on him as he led Toothless with one hand, feeling as the black beast trembled underneath his fingertips in anticipation. "I'll meet you back here when the sun has risen over the treetops," Hiccup whispered.

"_Agreed_."

Then, the dragon tore free of the pen, his body standing out among the bright colors in the plants. For a few minutes, Toothless bounded across the plain, spine stretching and contracting in a run that quickened until he was a black blur. Finally, he leaped up into the air, paws landing on the top of a boulder, and pushed off. Large black wings snapped open and pushed down forcibly, shooting Toothless further and further into the sky.

Hiccup watched the dragon go, breathless as his friend became one with the sky. A hand rested on his shoulder and the teen turned to look up at his father. The man was smiling, watching as Toothless steadily vanished from sight. "He's a strong creature."

_Oh, you have no idea._ The redhead thought, but followed his father. "Um, do you mind if I go out again today?"

Stoick shook his head. "Of course not, just leave your cell on so any of us can reach you."

Nodding, Hiccup went in the opposite direction, towards the caves. It would still be an hour or so before the sun had completely risen over the trees, but he wanted to make sure everything was ready.

The cave was exactly how he had left it, but he didn't light the fire as he had the times before, instead just pulling out the four saddles he had made, each a different design, before going back out. Hiccup left them near the entrance and sat down on the mountainside, pulling open the newspaper from under his canvases. It only took a few pages to find something interesting.

And a familiar face.

Zach stared up at him from the page, teeth bared, his expression no where near the calmness Hiccup had seen that night.

**Magician Revealed to be Cause of Assassination!**

_New pictures and confessions dating back to the murder of one Martin Luther King Jr. have recently come to light. For years, the King family has been questioning the act of James Earl Ray who was charged of the assassination of King after caught trying to leave American with a false, Canadian passport two months afterwards. In court, Ray pleaded guilty to the crimes and was sentenced to a 99-year prison term. Later, he pleaded not guilty._

_Since King's death at 7:05 a.m. at St. Joseph's Hospital on April 4, 1968 and the confession of Ray on March 10, 1969, America had been in an uproar. James Bevel, a friend and colleague of King's, had other opinions. "There is no way," he had said, "a ten-cent white boy could develop a plan to kill a million-dollar black man," and since 2000, the idea of Ray working with someone else had been dropped._

_But not entirely ignored._

_Recently, the MLEA (Magical Law Enforcement of America) received some startling news. In their records, it mentions a high amount of magic was on Ray (who had no recognition of magic usage before this point) and on the weapon he used. The signature was traced back to revolt leader Zachary Alvin Somnoir, a French magician currently living in Washington. Somnoir, having the power to posses beings since he had been gifted with his own magic, declared himself not guilty. But he confessed that he and Ray had been socializing and that the weapon had been sold to Ray when he showed a permit._

_The magician denied all knowledge of King's assassination, but further examination into Ray's mind proved that there had been some tampering with his brain on the days before, during, and after the assassination. Whether it had been a nudge or a full out possession remains to be seen, though all of the magic used held no signature except for Somnoir's._

_The order for Somnoir's arrest was declared on January 3rd. all information leading to his whereabouts should be called into the United States of America's police department. _

Hiccup breathed out slowly, closing the paper. Well, this was new, and definitely unexpected. His green eyes closed as his mind wandered over the new information. Zach had the ability to possess people, from no matter where he was, it seemed. A pair of harsh, flapping wings broke him form his musings as Toothless landed beside him.

"_You look worried_," The dragon said, laying down beside him, round head resting on his paws. "_What is it?_"

"How much do you know about possession?"

The dragon blinked. "_Hmm… the taking over another body's kind of possession?_" Hiccup nodded. "_I don't know much, only that dragons are immune._"

Frowning, the redhead looked up at his friend. "Why?"

"_Well,_" Toothless' eyes narrowed as he thought. "_Think of it like this. To dragons, magic can be another __food source. Our skin absorbs it and turns it into something else like… fire. Even the coloring of our scales mark each of us as what types of magic that we feed on. I eat dark magic, making my scales black. A Nadder feeds on healing, hence the blue and green coloring_."

"So when someone tries to possess you," Hiccup said, pushing the newspaper back into the bag, "it just… feeds you?"

The Night Fury nodded, watching him with toxic eyes. "_Yes, well, it feeds me. I don't know about the other dragons_." Toothless hummed deep in his throat. "_Now, about those harnesses…_"

"Right," Hiccup said, getting to his feet and going closer to where he had hid the saddles. Each one had been made differently; the curve on each was created for the best possible comfort. The first was denied by Toothless just looking at it, though the dragon gave no reason.

After a few minutes of trying them on, Hiccup brought up the last one. It was thin and flexible, fake wolf fur on the underside, making it soft but not slippery. The straps curled over the black chest, locking in the center with two stirrups on the side. "How's that?" The teen asked, watching as the dragon moved about, flexing his wings and muscles.

"_Much better,_" Toothless growled lifting off the ground for a second before touching back down. "_Yes, I can move with this_…"

Hiccup grinned proudly before the dragon slithered up beside him, bright, eerie eyes looking expectantly at him. Slowly, the teen grabbed onto his friend's neck, pulling himself up onto the saddle, his hands gripping the leather loop. Each foot slid into the stirrups before he breathed out, readjusting the duffle across his shoulders. "I-I'm ready."

The Night Fury started off slow, just as he had earlier when racing out of the pen, bounding across the valley before leaping up into the sky. To Hiccup, it felt like riding a horse, only the smooth, cat-like motions of Toothless' body made it seem as if it was one of the rides at Disney World, working gradually up a hill. The cool mountain air brushed over his cheeks, red hair streamed out behind him, revealing his freckled face to the glorious sun. With each flap, the dragon took them higher until the chill felt strangely comfortable and the oxygen was thin. Warmth pumped through the reptile underneath his legs.

Up here… this was the birthplace of dreams. Hiccup felt his face light up with wonder, looking everywhere. Planes were haunted by the dull roar of engines… up in the sky now, he was aware of the silence, of the birds, and of the peppered trees below. "It's…_amazing_." He whispered and Toothless looked back at him, smiling.

"_Isn't it?_" The dragon said before tucking in his wings, turning to a slight dive. The ground rushed towards them, not at panicking speeds, but rather like a rollercoaster, with Hiccup having faith in the Night Fury even as the grass came closer and—the wings spread open, not to slow the descent, but change direction. Hiccup breathed out, watching as dandelion seeds flew outwards, following their path like a dust storm in the desert.

With a slight tilt, Toothless brought them upwards in a lazy spiral, gaining height after each spin before straightening, once again over the peaks. The clouds created fluffy companions as the Night Fury dodged in and out of them, twisting their forms into eccentric shapes. Tiny water droplets clung to Hiccup's skin, but he didn't care, the teen just laughed when they began to free-fall again, at an even faster pace. This time, they didn't get so close to the ground, but turned between two close mountains and dipping towards a lake.

The teen watched their reflection in the water, grinning happily, his eyes wide with wonder. It was as close to heaven that anyone would get, he thought, well, without dying once or twice. Flying… it wasn't as though you entered another world; you have. So harsh and so beautiful. So distant from the whirlwind of distractions below most people would call life. Dreams could be more substantial than the clouds here.

It was when they were flying over the pens that Hiccup saw it; a small shack, broken and beaten by the weather, huddled in the forest. It looked old, abandoned, but because of the barrier, the two wouldn't be able to get through by flying, so they turned back. Only when the sun was setting did they come out from the sky. Both of them breathless and full of joy. Hiccup dismounted—and struggled, for a moment, on his unused legs—carefully removing the saddle from the dragon's back, watching as the Night Fury jumped around, rolling in the grass and stretching out his aching joints.

"_Hmmm… that was wonderful_." The dragon purred, his half-lidded gaze falling on the teen as he made his way into the cave. Curiously, Toothless rolled back onto his feet and followed, padding along silently and fitting through the random openings in the rock before they walked into Hiccup's abode. "_Is this your den?_"

Grunting, the teen hung the saddles on their respected out crops, "No, it's my, uh, work place."

"_How do you see?_" The dragon asked, flopping down besides one of the walls.

"I light a fire."

Toothless murmured and curled up, watching the redhead go about his work, flashlight in his mouth.

It was a few minutes later that Hiccup was walking back to the main building, grumbling about stubborn dragons. Toothless had decided that he wanted to stay in the cave, and not move. The teen had warned him that should he try to get out, at least make some markings so that he wouldn't go in circles.

"_Leave?_" The dragon had asked innocently, "_And miss out on a free den? No, I will stay where I am, silly human._"

Rolling his eyes, Hiccup continued on… until he ran into something—or rather, a _someone_. Both went spiraling backwards, though neither loosing their footing. Grunting, Hiccup rubbed at his forehead and looked up.

Astrid glanced over at his windswept hair, flushed cheeks, and awkward grin. "Where have you been?"

The redhead shrugged lazily. "Around."

Snotlout snorted and was quickly silenced by a harsh glare before the blonde turned back, looking over the slightly ruffled sweatshirt, tilted beanie, and bag swung over the boy's thin chest. Ruffnut and Tuffnut, he noticed, were staring at him oddly.

"What?" He snapped irritably, but the female twin just smiled flirtatiously. Stepping back, Hiccup made his way through the door, fleeing from the group and dodging Fishlegs as he raced up the stairs. "Uh, Gobber? GOBBER!"

There was a soft grunt before the blonde stumbled out of the break room. "What you yelling at boy?"

"Um… it's time for me to go home—"

The security guard sighed, looking at the clock on the wall. "So it is… go get in the car, I'll be out in a second." Hiccup did as he was told soon followed by Gobber who was whistling and swinging the keys around his finger. "Any reason why you're in such a rush?"

"Uh, not really. I just want to get home early tonight."

"After the month you've had, I can't really blame you." The rest of the ride was in tight silence. Both males not able to think of anything to say besides the unoriginal and cliché "How's the weather".

In fact, getting into the house was a relief as Hiccup watched the car move back down the driveway from the kitchen window. He went upstairs, kicking off his shoes as he went. As the teen settled down on his bed, pulling the laptop and tablet over to him, there was an odd noise outside. Thinking it was just a deer, the redhead started a new drawing, humming softly to himself.

It wasn't until the door crashed open that he realized deer didn't run into garage doors.

The teen shot up off his bed, knocking the tablet off his lap and hanging inches from the floor. He ignored it and slowly pulled his door open. There was no sound downstairs so he flicked open his phone, dialing his dad.

It rang once before going straight to the voice mail. Gobber was the same. Hiccup sighed and grabbed the nearest thing off his table that could be considered dangerous. A switchblade that was so dull, its only use was to flick off paint and create texture on canvasses. Whatever was downstairs didn't know that.

And if it was a bear… well, that would do no good either. Cursing himself for not knowing the emergency number up in Canada, Hiccup made his way to the stairs. There was still no sound of whatever had broken the door was human, so the teen scrambled almost spider-like down to the first floor, pressing himself up against the wall. Stoick always had the police on speed dial at his home… all he had to do was get to the nearest phone.

Which happened to be in the kitchen. Where the sound of six pans tumbling to the floor came from.

Hiccup sighed. Couldn't anything just be simple anymore?

He pushed away from the wall when something crashed across the top of his skull, sending him falling harshly to the floor before everything turned darker than Toothless' scales.

**END OF PART ONE**

* * *

Thanks so much for everyone reviewing to the first part! This is titled "Part One" because it's the end of the Principles side of things and you're halfway done (plus you won't have to wait long for it all to be over with).

The Element chapters will go in such order: Form, Space, Value, Color, Texture, Shape, and Line. As most of the information you need to know is in the first part, I would recommend going back over and reading a few details—but I won't say which ones *laughs evilly* because there is a hell of a lot of foreshadowing.

A hint? Hmm… Astrid's eyes. That's all I'm saying.

**_HERE'S A SHOUTOUT TO THE WONDERFUL BETA WHO DEALS WITH ALL MY CRAP_**

If you guys haven't read MissHanyou's "A Cruel Fate" go check it out! It deals with a future story (not unlike this one) with some OC's with Toothless. Even though she's only got three chapters done; they're long and fun to read. Go ahead and give it a try.

For all those people looking for a story with dragonese in it besides this one, I recommend Star Struck inu's "Outcast". Keep a close eye on that one, and, to make everything better, it's beautifully written.

**BY THE WAY**

Just because this is the end of Part one will NOT mean that I won't update for the next few days! Updates will go on as scheduled (though maybe faster, if I can get two done tomorrow). Beta + Grim's writing that normally doesn't finish until five = Later updates. They'll all be in the same day, guys, but that docX program is really slow.

All dates and people (Except for Zach) in the article actually exist. If you see any false facts, tell me, I'll fix them.

**AS A LAST NOTE BEFORE I LEAVE YA'LL ALONE**

I'm a bit stuck on an idea, and would really like some of your guys' help. I need a few dragon designs (preferably dark). You DO NOT have to draw it, just describing with words is fine. If you are interested, PM me as soon as possible (as this needs to be done **BEFORE** I get to Space, just so I can have the last chapter outlines done) to get all the information.

Each and all dragons chosen will be copyrighted to their original creators.

Contest can close at any time and this message will be deleted.

Male and Female dragons are both welcome.

As always; review, keep tossing around your thoughts, and

Happy Reading!

Grim


	8. Form

**PART TWO: ELEMENTS**

**Form**

_An object with three dimensions (height, width, and depth) or looks as though it has three dimensions_

The first thing Hiccup woke up to was the stereotypical tick-tock of a grandfather clock. His head ached—both the front and the back—and his body felt sluggish and weird… groaning, his eyes opened, squinting as light burned into his irises. Once his pupils had adjusted, the redhead let his skull roll to the side.

He was in a bedroom, not very big, with light blue paint on the walls. There was very little furniture, not much use for decoration, but it played its tune well enough. A bulky comforter was strewn out over his body, unbearably hot. He moved to push it off, watching it flip off the bed before he curled up. Hiccup sighed softly, feeling cool air brush his arms and bare feet.

Underneath his nose, the pillow smelled like disinfectant him mother used at home. For the first time in weeks, Hiccup found his thoughts going to his mom. They normally didn't keep in contact over the summers. To be honest, he was terrified of what she would think; for years the woman hadn't wanted him to go to his father's. She had said that it was dangerous and he could possibly be killed one day.

He asked her how that was any different than walking to school and the argument was settled. At least, up here, he would get fast help. A bullet to the head? Not so much.

But this summer… this summer had been the worst. A few burns? That was all right. Almost getting strangled and, perhaps, kidnapped? A whole different story. Hiccup forced his legs over the side, moaning when his head complained loudly. Slowly, resting his hand against the wall, the teen forced himself up and soon realized if he _didn't_ fall over in a few seconds, he would eventually while going down some stairs. A risk he did not want to take at the moment.

Hiccup sat back down on the bed, cradling his throbbing cranium.

"Funny, mom said you wouldn't get up until noon."

The boy jumped and realized that wasn't helping his head all that much. "Uhh…" he moaned. "Astrid?" The blonde appeared into his vision, looking over him. "Where am I?"

"In our guestroom." She said simply. "Your father found you and thought his house wasn't safe anymore, so my mother decided to lend you a bed." Astrid scowled. "They left me here with you and went out to take care of some things at the Reservation."

For a moment, Hiccup felt a soft joy develop in his chest before it was smothered by an angry foot; a panicking bug under a boot heel. "What time is it?"

"Time for you to get a watch." But she pointed at the clicking grandfather clock. Hiccup sighed and looked over at it. Nine-thirty-four. He rubbed at his eyes until a glass of water was shoved in front of his face. He shot Astrid a strange look before grabbing it and swallowing…most of it. Because it was after the second gulp that he realized it tasted weird. He lowered the drink and stared at the blonde. She raised a perfect eyebrow, making her dark blue eye more noticeable. "Is anything wrong?"

Hiccup shook his head and drank the rest of it, placing the glass on the bedside table. "It's nothing…"

Shrugging, she grabbed the cup and walked back out of the room. The redhead followed, looking around in curiosity; he had never been in Astrid's house before, and decided to make the most of it. She led him down to the kitchen, and Hiccup found that their home had been decorated with a lighter feeling than in Stoick's house; it was more 'Sunset Beach Wedding' with light colors, big pictures filled with smiling people, and the ever present shells that made their way onto shelves.

"Here, breakfast; eat." She pushed a plate filled with toast and eggs over to him.

They were cold, but having not eaten since lunch the day before, Hiccup swallowed it down, feeling her gaze on his back. "Is there any reason as to why you're watching me?" He asked before mentally cursing himself. _Great job, __**idiot**__; why don't you give her a reason to hate you?_ But she just turned away, leaving him to the meal in peace.

Once finished, Hiccup placed both the dish and silverware into the sink, scratching the back of his neck and went looking for Astrid. It took him about ten minutes to realize that she probably wasn't in the house and another five to get that the blonde didn't want to _be_ found; especially not by him.

Sighing, he flopped back down at the kitchen table, having found a pencil and pad of paper in his search for the other teenager, tapping the tip in a random pattern. It wasn't long before he got an idea and started to scribble. His pinky turned greyer each time he brought his hand back across the drawing.

It was around eleven forty-five when Hiccup finished and leaned back, looking over his new sketch—turned full out drawing. The door bell rang as he looked over it and heard Astrid come hopping down the stairs. "I got it!" She yelled, either out of reflex or just not wanting him to get it.

When he heard the trademark slur of Gobber's voice, however, the redhead raced out of the kitchen to the front door, grinning widely. The big man looked him over, grinning. "Hiccup!" He cried, ruffling the rust colored hair. "You had us all worried sick!"

"Sorry about that," Hiccup said, stepping out of reach. "Does this mean I can go home?"

"No," Gobber said, scratching the back of his neck. "I'm supposed to bring the two of you to the Reservation, but I need to pick up lunch first." He shrugged lazily and watched as the two ran off to get their shoes.

Hiccup followed Astrid to the laundry room where both pairs were sitting innocently beside one-another. The redhead pulled his on quickly, bounding back to where his father's best friend was. Astrid followed slower, having to go to the kitchen to get her jacket when her eyes hit the pad and pencil the other teen had been working with. Sighing, she was about to grab both and put them back in their normal spot when her eyes fully comprehended what she was looking at.

To be quite honest, it was _her_. A noble pose had descended down on her frame, curling her arms into a fighting stance, one leg slightly lifted—resting on a boulder—with round eyes wide. There was a mischievous smile playing on her lips and a victorious glint throughout it all. Light and shadows played across her body, highlighting a few prominent features she had never taken note of, but seeing them drawn so well…

"Astrid? You get lost or something?"

The blonde was torn out of her daze and ripped the drawing off the pad, folding it and sliding the picture into a pocket in her jeans. "Just making sure I have everything!" She called back before bursting through the opening, seeing Hiccup staring out into the woods that surrounded her home. Suddenly, though, he stopped being Hiccup as she noticed the stain of grey on the back of his left hand.

Now, he was an enigma.

"So," Gobber said as they got into his battered, rusty truck. "Pepperoni or cheese?"

"Cheese," Astrid answered just as Hiccup muttered a "Neither." Both Canadians turned to look at him in the back seat, rummaging through his bag—Gobber had thankfully (or thoughtfully) grabbed it before he came. His gaze moved upwards, landing on both of them "What?"

The adult (who wasn't exactly an adult, the redhead figured) sighed in distress. "What, you don't like pizza, Hicca?"

"_Don't_," Hiccup hissed, sounding remarkably like Toothless as his eyes narrowed, glaring at Gobber, "_call me that_." A large hand waved carelessly, but no one could dismiss the slight widening of Astrid's eyes. Blushing slightly, Hiccup turned away, rummaging through his cans of paint. "I don't like either toppings; both are too bland."

Gobber gasped in pity, holding his chest with one hand. "You wound me—"

"KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE ROAD!" Both teens screamed at the same time as the truck pulled perilously close to the end of the asphalt. Neither of the kids breathed until the vehicle had straightened out again, the man having both hands on the wheel. Astrid was clutching her seat with pale knuckles as Hiccup had curled in on himself. Pretty sure they weren't going to crash, the redhead slowly relaxed.

"You're going to get us all killed." He said simply, going back to what he had been doing before, then frowned. "And I appreciate Hawaiian, thank you very much."

"I don't think they sell that up here," Gobber said truthfully as they turned around the last corner and entered Berk.

It had always been a quiet little town, nestled safely on the side of a mountain, hidden from view by the large trees that masked the buildings and trees. Gobber took them straight to the pizza parlor. The smell almost blinded Hiccup's nose for a minute before it all came back. There were at least ten boxes on the counter all ready with a sticky note on the top. Both teens followed the man up, watching as he handed each enough money to buy their own before getting the others out to the truck.

Everyone found that they did _not_ sell Hawaiian pizza, so Hiccup settled with eating his All Meat one in the back of the truck with the widow pulled down slightly to let the smell wafting off the boxes not overwhelm them all. The redhead had easily finished his meal by the time they reached the reservation and helped the other two with carrying the boxes inside.

Once the pizza had been placed in the break room, Hiccup ran off to find his father. Luckily, Stoick was in his office, but on the phone, so the boy waited patiently until the much larger redhead hung up and rubbed at his forehead. "Yes, Hiccup?"

Worrying his lip, Hiccup leaned back, rocking the chair slightly. "Um, I was just wondering what those people were after last night… I mean, they didn't—"

"I think it would be best if you left that alone."

Immediately, Hiccup's expression darkened. "_What_?" He whispered, slowly rising, "They broke into the house, beat me over the head, and all you can say is to just let it _go_?" The teen's voice steadily got louder, going from soft to a yell. "Would you have let it go if they cracked my skull—"

"You should be lucky they only beat you over the head!" Stoick snapped back, causing his son to stumble back in shock. "Those men… they could have taken _you_ with them!"

"But they didn't! You always live in the _past_, dad! Why can't you live in the _now_?" Without waiting for the answer, Hiccup turned around, running through the rest of the building, not stopping until he was partially to the caves and Toothless. He stumbled in the dark, his light wobbly and not doing much good before he came across his home away from home.

"_There you are! I was beginning to think you forgot about me!_" The Night Fury said, climbing down the wall, talons digging into the hard rock. Hiccup didn't answer, just angrily pacing. "_So, are you going to tell me what's wrong, or just walk around like a bumbling dragonet?_"

Hiccup sighed, grabbing the saddle. "I'll tell you on the way out." And he did, after fastening the harness to the sleek body and getting out into the daylight, the teen told Toothless the whole story; from his run in with the wrong people and his father's strange reaction.

The dragon listened, thoughtful, before sitting down by the entrance. "_You know, most humans don't really get this; but sometimes, your parents are just worried about you._"

"But what's wrong with telling me so that next time I could be prepared?" Hiccup grumbled, brushing his face against his hands. "It's so… _aggravating_."

Toothless gave the redhead his trademark smile. "_I bet he says the same about you_."

Sighing, Hiccup sat down on a rock until the Night Fury began to shuffle slightly. "_I hope you don't mind if I fly for a bit?_" The dragon murmured, his tail flickering. "_I'll meet you in the clearing, just beyond those Aspens over there._"

With an easy nod, the redhead watched as the dragon took off at a straight vertical, winding through the trees on the mountainside before Hiccup got up, placing his hands in his pockets and walking towards the trees.

He didn't see the flash of blonde or glint of dark blue eyes as another followed.

* * *

Hiccup sighed, placing the duffle on the ground and kneeled, rummaging through it.

A twig snapped behind him and he spun around, tripping over his feet and landing on his back. "Astrid!" And there she was, watching him with a scowl on her face, leaning against one of the spruces, twirling the branch she had snapped off between her fingers. "W-what—?"

She walked into the clearing, frowning and looking around.

"_Human?_" Toothless growled out and the redhead could hear him padding softly across the grass. "_Hiccup?_"

"Uh, what—why are you out here?" Hiccup asked Astrid instead, watching as she walked closer towards the edge of the boulder where it would give her a clear view of the Night Fury. "Hey!" His hand rested on her shoulder and, in a swift movement, he was on the ground, face in the dirt and soft blades tickling his cheeks. She was sitting on the small of his back, his arm twisted behind him.

Astrid leaned closer so her lips were close to his left ear. "Curiosity," she hissed before letting him go, getting up as graceful as a leopard. Hiccup forced himself up to his feet, wincing when his shoulder complained.

"And what did you expect to find?" The redhead asked, following her now. "What if I just want to get away—" He ran into her back when she stopped and flinched away, expecting to get her ire once more.

Well, he wasn't disappointed. Astrid turned on him like an angry wolf, one hand grasping his shirt and pulling him closer. Leaning back as far as he could, Hiccup watched her, green eyes wide, until he heard a harsh snarl; Toothless had finally smelled the new associate in their valley.

"_Hiccup!_"

The teens turned, both seeing the black blur coming towards them, a flash of white, eyes shining with murder—"Wait!" Hiccup cried, jumping in front of Astrid, his arms opening wide. Black talons dug deep into the earth, making long, deep trenches in the dirt. Toothless stopped awkwardly, back legs buried in the softened soil, his front paws were braced against the torn grass. His long ears were pressed against the back of his neck, wings open making him look undeniably bigger.

Immediately the Night Fury pounced forward one more time, coming up before the redhead and sniffing him, checking his small body over. Then, the radioactive gaze turned to Astrid. Ebony lips curled back into a snarl and his almond shaped eyes narrowed. "_Did she harm you?_"

Hiccup blinked in surprise. "Huh? No, uh, no; she didn't… um…"

The dragon nudged him gently again, placing his head underneath the boy's small hand. "_Good,_" he growled, tail wrapping possessively around them both.

Astrid watched them both with widened eyes, her mouth open in surprise. Her longer bangs had been brushed away, so she stared at them her fingers twitching, before turning and racing off into the trees.

"_Run little human!_" Toothless called before turning around and rolling back through the grass.

"We're going to have to go after her," Hiccup said.

Grunting, The Night Fury turned away. "_What's the point of that?_"

"I don't be shipped all over the world to translate for dragons," The teen sighed, mounting Toothless and fitting his feet into the stirrups. "Just do it, all right?" The two of them burst upwards into the air, weaving through the trees until the Night Fury suddenly banked to the left, rising higher into the sky. "What are you doing?" Hiccup hissed, "She's heading straight for the preserve!"

"_And a witch is heading straight for her._"

The teen gasped as the dragon dove, barely missing a few branches with his large wings. "A witch?"

"_Yes… The magic coming off of her… it smells delicious!_" Toothless' pupils dilated in something Hiccup could only guess was lust before turning completely. His pale hands held onto the saddle like it was a lifeline as the Night Fury burst past the trees blocking Astrid from sight, who was oblivious to the woman following her. A blast of grey and green created a strange web in the air, going towards the girl…

Until the Night Fury swallowed it whole.

Astrid turned with a gasp even as Hiccup and Toothless continued to soar past. Black scales crackled with energy and toxic eyes glowed brighter than the redhead had ever seen. "_YES!_" The dragon roared spinning back around, using a tree to push off, his talons leaving long marks in the bark. The black paws brushed the ground once before they were back into the air, shooting towards the witch. She looked shocked, even amazed, for a moment, before her lips twisted into a cruel, ugly smirk.

"TOOTHLESS!" Hiccup roared and leaned all his weight to the left, making the Night Fury turn sloppily just as something purple shot by them like a spear. They hit the ground so hard, it flung the teen over the side of the saddle, his leg caught in the stirrup. Toothless didn't seem to notice, rolling back onto his feet and began to move, his gaze crazy, insane… out of his mind.

Hands scrabbled for his bag as his back was pulled along the ground at each bounding leap, glad that the beast had enough sense to _not_ leave the earth behind at this moment. Hiccup watched as the witch prepared another blast, Toothless licking his lips, and his hand closed around a small, miniscule bottle of something called wintergreen oil. Easily replaceable, and one of the strongest smelling liquids the redhead had ever laid hands on. Grunting, he let the duffle slide over his head so his other hand was free to grab at the saddle, pull his body up and—

"_WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?_" Toothless skidded to a stop, turning and twisting his head. His voice changed into a loud howl as he clawed at his nose, eyes watering, pupils slits again. Soft pads rubbed at his face, trying to get the oil from where it splashed across his nostrils, and, as he did, the dragon stayed still long enough for Hiccup to pull his leg from the stirrup.

Forcing his way to his feet, Hiccup realized that the witch was watching him, but her gaze flickered to Astrid, who had pulled out her phone. It crackled and sputtered in her hand, making the smoldering metal fall to the grass. The blond held her slightly burnt limb to her chest, lips twisting into a snarl.

"Not that this isn't fun…" The witch murmured, her eyes glinting a strange neon orange, "But I really have to get back to work, and if that means bringing back some baggage, well… I'm sure Zach wouldn't mind."

Hiccup dived immediately, watching as a small crater appeared where he had been standing. Toothless stumbled up onto his feet, panting as his nose was completely overcome by the smell of mint. However, Astrid wasn't so lucky. Having dived out of the way, magic exploded the tree behind her, and the heavy trunk fell across her unsuspecting body.

The last thing Hiccup heard, next to Toothless' furious roar, was a mocking voice whispering "_night, night_," in his ear before two clawed hands brought his face down on a rock.

* * *

I'm SORRY this was updated so late! I didn't get around to writing it until after four. But it's here, right? *smiles sheepishly and has to dive away from the rotting tomatoes*

Ah, and those who sent me your wonderful dragon ideas? Thanks! I got more PMs than reviews! XD

Happy Reading! Review! And enjoy life to the fullest (because I said so)!

Grim


	9. Space

**Space**

_The distance or area between, around, above, below, and within things._

Hiccup woke up to someone shaking him. Hard. He groaned and pushed the hands away, cursing the person and curling up.

Whoever it was sighed in exasperation. "Hiccup? Hiccup you need to get up!"

The teen sighed, his face felt like someone had peeled away the skin then glued it back on poorly and jab a few dozen needles across it to keep the flesh in place. His left eye was numb, and his cheek rested against something cold and slightly wet. Both shoulders had complained when he turned over; his arms being tied mercilessly behind his back. "Why does this always seem to happen to me?" Green eyes opened slowly. "What happened?"

Astrid was beside him, rope curling around her gloved wrists, a small scowl on her face. "You don't look too good."

"Yeah?" He muttered. "I don't feel all that great either." Hiccup slowly tried to sit up, wincing when his stomach muscles protested. The redhead watched as Astrid moved her mouth down to the rope binding her hands, pulling at the knot. "Why are your hands tied in the front?" he grumbled, moving himself into a more comfortable position.

"They weren't before," the blonde muttered past her full mouth as the bindings began to unwind. As she worked, Hiccup managed to get a look around… not that there was much to see; a window was a few feet above them, closer to the ceiling and was their only source of light, the walls were covered in dirt and other substances (the redhead refused to acknowledge the black splatter across the door), and the ground was grimy and dusty—so much that he could tell where his body has slid along the ground.

Astrid dropped the loose rope to the floor before crawling around him, fingers picking at his own bonds. He hissed when they fell away, rubbing at his sore and red wrists. "Do you know where Toothless is?"

"Toothless?" The blonde said, her eyes glinting in the small amount of light. "Who's Toothless?"

Hiccup rubbed at his shoulder, wincing as his fingers ran along the scabbing cuts in the skin. "The dragon that almost bowled you over?" He snapped back. "Remember the Night Fury? Do you know what they did with him?"

Astrid rolled her eyes. "Of course not," she sneered. "I woke not long before you did." She settled up against the wall, and Hiccup got a good look at her at last.

The right side of her face was pattered black and blue, her shirt torn across the stomach and scratches along her arms. With a wince, the teen remembered the tree that had fallen across her. "Are you all right?" he asked softly, watching her reaction.

She stiffened, blue eyes narrowing. "Fine."

"Of course, and I'm Elvis back from the dead." Hiccup rolled his eyes, cocking an eyebrow at her. "You don't look so good."

"Yeah?" Astrid grumbled, quoting him, "I don't feel all that great either."

The redhead snorted and let his fingers run over his face, wincing when the wounds on his shoulder complained… loudly. The room settled into darkness, with the unforgiving wind beginning to howl. Voices rose with it, but they weren't human at all. Hiccup turned one ear to the wall, his lips twisting upwards.

"_The world of will the darkness falls, of frozen hills and broken walls, the robin and the raven swoon in the light of the cowering moon. 'Oh,' says the black bird, all depressed and sad, 'why does the wind decide to howl like a man?'" _The teen sighed, the voices covering him with soothing harmony, his eyes drooping as he listened. "'_I don't know,' replies the robin, his feathers all stiff, 'perhaps it's trying to fall the towering cliff?' They looked up in the night, and up to the stars, where the clouds of old dragons pass like beds of black tar._"

"What are you doing?" Astrid asked, scooting up beside him, pressing her own ear to the wall.

Hiccup paid her no mind, grabbing onto the soothing lullaby as it continued, growing more distant and soft. "_So it was at last when the moon reached its peak, and the wolves of the mountain started to speak, that the raven and robin parted their ways, never to be seen for the end of their days. The wind? It still howls, bristles, and cries, but its song is no longer sad to the watery skies. The birds, why, they still sing, and the flowers still bloom at the whisper of spring, but the robin and raven, two birds of a feather, shall never, ever, again be together._" The redhead sighed, leaning back as Astrid watched him.

"What were you doing?"

Green eyes flickered up to the blue before moving away, "Listening."

She tilted her head to the side, "to what?"

"Voices," he replied back, lips twisting up at the ends, "singing voices."

Astrid stared at him like he was insane before her face melted into recognition. "You can understand them, can't you?" She whispered, and the redhead turned away. "You can speak their language. The dragons, I mean."

Hiccup curled up, sighing. "Yes," he admitted. "I can understand them."

Both of them quieted at the footsteps clunking towards the door. Quickly, the blonde moved away, her eyes trained on the door, hiding the ropes behind her and curling her arms around her back. Hiccup copied her with out too much of a fuss, wincing when the door banged open.

The witch from the valley was illuminated by a flashlight, her mouth in a thin line, bright eyes narrowed and flashing dangerously. "Zach wishes to speak with the boy." Hiccup didn't move, and her teeth flashed. "You have no choice; come of your own will, or be forced to. One is less painful."

Sighing, the redhead forced himself clumsily up to his feet, knowing she would notice his unbound hands if she walked behind him.

* * *

"It is my pleasure to finally meet the _distinguished_ Hiccup Haddock properly."

He had been lead through the surprising little hallways; the witch paid no mind to his hands, instead shoved him along without too much fuss. Granted, the fact that he could barely see straight had something to do with it, for sure.

The rest of the building was just as disgusting as the room he and Astrid were being kept in; dark, dirty, and he swore he heard the pattering of a rat's tiny feet. The place was absolutely silent except for the wind that managed to find a few windows with cracks in the glass to squeeze through.

Now Hiccup was in an uncomfortably small room, sitting in an equally uncomfortable, dusty, broken chair. He could feel the splinters poking through his shirt and into his skin and, no matter how many times he tried to reposition himself, just could _not_ find a worthy position. _Do people make these things just to torture?_

"Such a pleasure that you had to drag me here by force?" Hiccup said instead, curling his legs and watching the person opposite him with caution.

It was Zach. He tilted his head titled back to throw out a deep-throated laugh, revealing long, sharp canines and a mouth that seemed blacker than his eyes. The teen flinched at the sight of the rotting gums, ignoring the haunting giggle from the witch. "Hardly," he said, the laughter dying into a chuckle that sounded like a wound up rattlesnake. "No, that was unfortunate; my agents were only supposed to keep an eye on you and your… _friend_. Your behavior made them act early, to which I will assure you; they will learn the act of proper surveillance."

Hiccup smiled easily, hiding the growing panic that blossomed in his chest. _These people have been __**watching**_ _us?!_ Instead, he moved slightly, still working for a better position before settling again. "Well, I would blame the operator who sent them out there," his eyelids lowered in a faint Toothless habit. "If I were them, I would've chosen more human-like beings; ladies with orange eyes stand out too much in a crowd."

It was horrible, he knew, to feel a minor roar of triumph erupt in his chest when the calm, carefree façade fell from Zach's face. His dark eyes flashed with anger before settling again. "You need to pay better respect to your elders."

"Not when the elder is rotting where he stands—or sits, in your case, I guess—then no. Sorry, but when you smell like rotten eggs that mated with a decomposing avocado… it just doesn't earn you respect." Hiccup shrugged and winced when his shoulders twinged. "Just makes people want to go out and buy you a coffin."

The next thing he knew, the redhead was on the floor, his back sending up a choking cloud of dust with a bright, sharp blade pressed against his throat. Straddling his stomach, the witch leaned over him, smelling faintly of orange juice and blood. "You watch your tongue boy!"

"_Laura_." Her eyes flashed powdery blue with small gold flecks. Hiccup drew in a sharp breath, watching as she mechanically moved back, her form still and shaking. Zach was still in his chair, but his pupils had dilated so much that the color was hardly noticeable. His gaze turned to the teen, his cracked lips twisting into a cruel smile. "Do you see this, Hiccup? I can control anyone I want to, at any time. But there's always a catch… I need a drop of their blood." He sighed in mock pity.

Hiccup however, was itching to get out of that room. His eyes were wide, false bravado gone. Screw pride and secrecy. The teen pushed himself off the ground, getting up onto his feet and racing for the door. Pale, soft flesh curled around the doorknob before he tore backwards, holding his scarlet hand; it hadn't been on the smoldering metal long enough to burn, but it still hurt.

"You're trapped, Hiccup." Zach whispered. "There's no way out of Hell except with guidance from the Devil."

"Or God," Hiccup hissed and rammed his shoulder against the wood. His body complained and, in a final act of desperation, he picked up the chair and threw it as hard as he could.

Zach was on his feet in a flash, his hand shooting out. The redhead watched his magic weave through the air, reaching—but didn't make it in time for the door to crack under the impact. "Yes!" Hiccup yelled, giving it one last solid hit before falling through. His head spun, eyes fogged, mind rumbling slowly, but still he pushed on.

"_What's this?_" A whisper said in his ear. "_One of the humans trying to escape?_"

Hiccup whipped around and saw nothing. Gasping in both shock and adrenaline; he spun around, looking for wherever the voice had come from. "Who are you?" The teen thought about it for a moment before changing his question. "What are you?"

A four fingered talon wrapped around his neck, pinning his body against the wall. Slowly, scales began to appear, popping into view down from the hand and up to a skinny, light grey serpentine body that was… it took up most of the hallway and Hiccup wondered faintly how he hadn't touched the dragon as he raced by.

But its head… its head was unlike anything he had ever seen; a long muzzle with sharp teeth filled the quirking mouth, the eyes were golden, but flashed blue in amusement. It took him a few seconds to realize that it was a Chinese Ghost, or Ghostly Shade. Sharp spines started at the back of the head and made their way to the tip of the tail that was further down the hall.

"Ah, thank you Zai." Zach was walking towards them, hands in his pockets. "I believe you owe me a new door, Mr. Haddock."

"Let me go!" Hiccup wrapped his abused hands around the arm that was pinning him in place. "This feud is between you and my father—"

The magician roughly grabbed his arm, making him yelp in both confusion and pain; the harsh scales were pointed on one side, cutting across his hands. It was as if something had taken over the teen's body as he kicked out and tried to pull his arm back. "What are you doing? Stop!"

In a swift motion, Laura brought a dagger down across his hand. The teen cried out in pain, watching as blood began to pool upon his skin. Zach brushed his finger over the gash, the pale skin stained crimson. For a long moment, he sat there and stared at it before sliding it into his mouth. "Hmm… interesting…" Hiccup's legs and arms went stiff though his eyes widened in panic. The dragon stepped away, slithering to where Laura was, curling partially around her form.

"W-what are you—" the same, long fingers brushed over the teen's freckled cheeks, drawing a flinch before pulling back.

"Don't worry, my dear boy…" Zach whispered. "It won't be too bad. Laura! Take him back to the room. Make sure neither he or that stupid girl gets out." The witch nodded and grabbed the teen by his bicep, dragging him partially along once he had regained full feeling in his legs.

Green eyes landed on Zai as the dragon slowly began to vanish once again, sinking into the wall like the spectre he was named after. Astrid was pacing in the room when Laura unceremoniously threw him in before slamming the door. This time, Hiccup heard the lock click before her footsteps faded down the hall. The blonde was looking over his body, frowning at the blood trickling from his palm and the scratches across his neck.

"Hiccup?"

"Y-yeah?"

She kneeled beside him, steadily helping his form to the wall where he could lean against it. "Are you all right?"

"As well as anyone in our position can be." He said simply, hearing the small pattering of feet once more against the floorboards.

Astrid gently took his hand, looking over it. "You should probably get that bandaged," she scowled, looking over the grimy floor. "It would definitely get infected here."

Sighing, Hiccup ripped off what was left of his sleeve, wrapping the fabric tightly around his palm before looking up at her. "Happy?"

"Very much so."

It took a long time before they were able to fall into slumber. Hiccup's dreams were haunted by a figure of himself with powder blue eyes with gold specks, rusty hair the color of blood.

* * *

**Ghostly Shade copyright © Cookie Master's Apprentice**

**Zai's personality copyright © Grim Revolution**

To use this character's design; PM Cookie Master's Apprentice. I would love to own Zai, but he'd eat me. See? Your dragons do make it in! XD

Anyway, this is still unbelievably late... it's almost midnight, and I am doing nothing tomorrow except bowling... and buying a fabulous book titled "Art of How to Train your Dragon".

Review and tell me what you guys are thinking!

Happy Reading!

Grim

(P.S.) I just noticed how clogged up Saturday is (today, May 1, 2010) and I will TRY to get Vaule up before midnight hits, If I can't, it will be up tomorrow morning AT THE LATEST! Thanks so much for everyone's support!


	10. Value

_**Value** _

_The lightness or darkness of a hue (color)_

Hiccup was woken up in the morning and dragged roughly from the floor by Laura who forced him down the hallway, not caring if he stumbled or fell. Her eyes had turned back to their bright orange, but anger boiled beneath the surface. She took him to a different room, tossing him into a similar chair to the one before and stood off to the side, arms crossed over her chest, lips twisted into a firm scowl.

They were alone for only a few seconds before Zach appeared out of thin air, making the teen shy away. His dark eyes examined the red scratches on the pale neck, dark bruises across the cheeks and over the eye, and the long marks on the thin shoulders. "Leave us, Laura." He ordered softly, tone chilly. "I wish to speak to Mr. Haddock alone."

The witch seemed to debate with herself for a second before she stepped out, scowling, door slamming shut behind her. Hiccup watched her go, his body stiffening, but still he did not look at the magician. "What do you want with me?" He whispered almost in defeat. "What did I ever do to you?"

"Well, that's a strange question, don't you think?" Zach answered, grabbing the redhead under the chin and forcing their eyes to meet. "There really is no answer, but yet one all the same."

Frowning, Hiccup tried to get him to let go. "Not really, no," He snapped and finally tore away, "I think it's simple enough."

"Ah," The magician whispered. "There lies the problem; _you_ thought. It would be best, I believe, if it wasn't so."

"You can't _stop_ someone from thinking," Hiccup pointed out. "Unless you can control thought, which no one can," He shifted. "You have power over energy and the nervous system. That's all."

Zach grinned toothily. "And you are the first to figure it out. Congratulations, Mr. Haddock, but you missed one important detail," the magician leaned forward, "The brain is just a ball of nerves."

The teen was given no time to react before his vision succumbed to darkness.

* * *

Dark eyes watched the teen's gaze change from green to blue before Zach called Laura back in. The witch was scowling, but he easily ignored her, instead finding himself eyeing the teen's rounded features that had been beaten by Zai. There was a splash of ugly blue across the right cheek, arching up to underneath the eyelashes before appearing again above. It wasn't swollen, surprisingly, but it must have hurt. The other side of the redhead's face, however, wasn't as kind; the bruise was black, the edges turning an ugly mustard color. It went from under his chin, across from his nose to the ear, and looped around the eye bridge, finishing on the forehead.

It would heal, eventually, and Zach leaned back, pushing enough suggestive power into the boy he was surprised the teen wasn't spilling his darkest secrets. "What is your name?"

"Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III," a monotone voice answered. The teen's gaze didn't move, and his skin so much as didn't even twitch.

The magician smiled before turning towards Laura, "It is time."

For over an hour the two of them dragged enough information out of the boy to write a novel, provided with sketches, floor plans, and all out maps to the reservation. A few biographies could be written about the security, Gobber, Spitelout, Stoick, and even Azalea. Locations of know dragon nests and a variety of special places discovered by the teen where some of the larger creatures hid their eggs from the searching eyes of keepers.

Each of the dragons in the pens were spoken of, Zach particularly interested on the Bone Napper, before they turned to Toothless. For a moment, they reached a stalemate. Whenever a question about the dragon came up, Hiccup could not answer. His eyes were still emotionless, but his mouth would open and form words that had nothing to do with the question.

It was as if something was _blocking_ the magic from going into his memories of the Night Fury. Zach tried a simple question, "What do you feed him?"

"On Monday, Lucky needs sixteen pills to help with his broken tail—"

"I didn't ask about the Whispering Death!" The magician snarled, bringing his hand across the boy's face, nail digging into the skin and digging long, scarlet marks out on the already bruised and battered cheek. Zach breathed heavily for a moment before taking a step back and storming towards the back wall, pacing angrily.

Laura, who had been writing all the vocal information down, watched him with a mix between worry and dark amusement. "Perhaps someone created a barrier in his mind?"

"I would assume so," Zach snarled, "Seeing that he won't say _anything_ about that blasted creature!"

Neither of them noticed the powder blue fade slightly to the leaf green beneath it. The once emotionless eyes blinked once before stilling. Not even Toothless could have imagined what the hit would do to the teen.

Hiccup's mind seemed to shake off the spiderwebs that had grabbed it in such a grip, tearing through a layer, but not all of it, slowly forcing its way through black velvet, so close to the conscious, but not quite. The teen couldn't feel his legs or arms, his eyelids twitched only for a moment, and his vision was black.

But he could hear voices. His mind quickly recognized Zach, then Laura, hearing the words but not fully understanding them until his brain had caught up.

"How could we ever get control over the beast when the boy can't even tell us _why_?" The magician snapped. "The battle would be useless without it!"

"But not impossible," Laura commented. "There are plenty of other powerful dragons, why not use one of them to lead your army? And most have all ready been proven to succumb to your abilities."

The redhead listened to the furious pacing. "But not as fast or powerful; the Night Fury could rip through a Fenrisulfur's* defences with ease," Zach sighed. "We have enough information to attack them in their blind spots and rip through their barriers like a hot knife through butter."

A few seconds of silence settled between them before Laura spoke; "then why not do it? They would never expect it, with or without the Night Fury. It would be easy; the werewolves from the north, Vampires from the south, and dragon riders from above. Trap them between the mountains."

"Yes…" The magician hissed, sounding almost snake-like, "yes, we will attack. BELLA!" Hiccup almost cried out at the strength of the yell before the door behind him slammed open.

He could hear the vampire's harsh breathing echoing in the room, the smell that followed her almost made him grimace. "You rang?"

"Take the boy back to the room. I have what I need. Come back and bring Muhammad when you're done; I need to speak with both of you." A boney hand wrapped around the teen's bicep, forcing him onto his feet. They moved mechanically, uncontrolled by his own brain until he smelt the familiar room he and Astrid were staying in.

Once the door had slammed shut, Hiccup fell, Zach's influence on his mind vanishing in wisps of dark smoke, mocking him from the sidelines and dark corners. Shame, humiliation, and horror welled up within him at once and he leaned over, vomiting loudly across the floor. Astrid was holding him up once he was finished, stopping his body from diving into the puddle of bile. His stomach growled in hunger, changing moods as quickly as a drunkard.

It took him a few minutes to realize that he was sobbing, body shaking from the violation of something ripping through his mind like a wolverine on parade. "Hush, Hiccup," Astrid whispered in his ear. "Hush now… it'll all be over soon…"

_How would—_but she _would_ know, he realized, remembering that day that seemed like ages ago. Her eyes powder blue and flecked with gold. Hiccup let the blonde slowly pick him up, gently leading him away from the foul smelling liquid and place him on the ground. His vision was coming back slowly now; the black retreating and revealing Astrid's face.

"Mmm… I c-can't feel…"

"It will come back," she said soothingly, wiping away his bangs from his sweaty forehead. "Don't worry, just wait."

Hiccup closed his eyes and focused on the fingers running across his skin, brushing across something wet that dribbled down his cheek. It hurt, he realized. The bruise had started to throb with every heart beat. "I—I can't remember—"

"I know," Astrid whispered. "And be thankful that you don't," she repositioned him as needles began their way down his legs. "It will all be over soon, I promise."

For a second, the redhead fought to believe her, feeling his muscles burn and twitch even when he had regained feeling in his toes. Hiccup bit his lip, feeling salty tears squeezing out from under his eyelids. Then, just as suddenly, it was gone, leaving him gasping for air and aware of the world instead of the throb that had taken over his body.

His eyes fluttered open staring up at Astrid and Hiccup opened his mouth to speak, when the pattering of tiny feet against the floorboards made him pause. "_Look for humans,_" A grumpy voice whispered. "_Find human who talks to dragons and ask him questions. Who is dragon speaker? I ask, but no, black one doesn't share secrets with light._"

"Hello?" Hiccup called out softly, letting the blonde guide him up. "Who's there?"

The pattering stopped for a moment. "_Dragon Speaker?_" the creature asked softly, leaning against the door. Its voice was high, but the teen believed whatever it was; it was male. "_Are you in there?_"

"Who is this?" Hiccup murmured, crawling forward and leaning against the door. "Are you from the reservation?"

"_Reservation? Yes, yes, I am from the reservation. Big black dragon was taken, followed scent, yes… reservation._"

Astrid glanced over him, "Hiccup? Hiccup, what's going on?"

The redhead worried his lips, "possibly our salvation, what's your name, dragon? Do I know you?"

"_I am called Lightning by the humans, but my hatch mother called me Zalath,_"

Hiccup breathed a sigh of relief, mouthing 'Terror' to the blonde who grinned. "Zalath, do you know where Too—the Night Fury is? Is he all right?"

"_Angry beast… very angry, he smells like strong plant, minty, doesn't like it. Asked me to find you and get you out if unharmed. Get him out if harmed. Are you unharmed, human?_" There was a slight pattering as the small dragon turned around in circles, "_I don't know how to get Dragon Speaker out. There is no small hole for me._"

"Hey," Hiccup soothed, "it's all right. Where is the Night Fury? Is he close?"

Zalath snorted. "_He's under your feet, human. There are others down there, too. Big ones, little ones… taken, stolen, beaten…_"

"Um, Zalath," Hiccup started, trying to decide whether or not to satisfy his curiosity. "Do any of the dragons down there… _sing_?"

There was silence on the other side of the door, "_Yes, yes… Wolf Dragon sings. She misses her mother, calling back. There is a Soul Stealer, but no one else who would willingly sing. No. No dragons who sing._"

Hiccup had taken a sharp breath at the Soul Stealer and immediately felt terror enter him at Zach's words before of an attack on the Reservation. "We need to get out of here… Zalath, could you melt the doorknob? It will burn our hands."

"_Our? There is more than just you, Dragon Speaker?_"

"Yes, Astrid's in here too, the blonde warrior." For a moment, the teen was afraid that the dragon wouldn't do anything, before the trademark hissing of a Terror before they breathed fire woke in the silence and he watched in awe as the metal turned red, then orange, shifted to yellow slowly, before finally turning white, the wood around in blacked and burned, but the fire didn't last long; Zalath able to suck in a breath to swallow it.

Both teens watched as the liquefied metal slowly ate its way to the ground until, at last, the dragon was able to stop it, sucking the heat out once more. "I didn't know dragons could do that!" Hiccup whispered.

"_No, No… only us, small dragons. Terrors. Control over heat and fire._" He could see the Terror outside, pacing back and forth before Hiccup gently pulled the door open. It swung back without complaint and the redhead smiled down at the small dragon.

"Thank you, Zalath."

The Terror nodded once before scrambling up his pants and shirt before sitting curling around the boy's neck.

Astrid shook her head slightly, "Which way?" Hiccup repeated the question to Zalath who looked to the right.

"_Go down dark hallway, there is opening with stairs, follow the stairs._"

"Simple enough," Hiccup muttered, repeating the instructions to Astrid who began their journey. The redhead was worried though, about Zai. The Ghostly Shade could appear where ever he wanted to, and even with Zalath on his shoulder, the teen just didn't want to risk it, urging the girl holding him up to go faster.

It seemed like and eternity to get to the entrance to the basement; the threshold was dark and depressing, but they pushed on. It was about halfway down the stairs—that creaked and groaned under every footstep—when they heard the soft rumble of sleeping dragons and the slight rustling of chains. It was finally at the bottom that Hiccup didn't need Astrid's help as much and found himself walking alongside a wall, hand firmly on the rotting wood and fungi covered bricks. He walked a few feet forward until something lit up in front of him.

Lines of neon green mismatched and wound together creating a zebra effect against the darkness, slanted eyes opened, glowing a sharp blue and rising over the redhead. Astrid gasped taking a step back, and Zalath trembled across his shoulders. "I did not mean to wake you," Hiccup said, raising his hands in surrender.

The dragon snorted, "_You are a strange human._" The lights across her hide grew brighter until the creature was a living lamp. It was shaped like a cobra with her flat head and thin body. The only differences were the long legs and spiked wings curling around the ebony body. "_But you do not smell as horrible as the others,_" bright eyes flashed to Astrid then to the Terror who was trembling. "_Why are you so afraid, little dragon? I am chained._" So she was, silver glinting around her neck.

"Zalath… could you free her?" Hiccup whispered and, for a moment, the small dragon hesitated before leaping off his shoulder, racing to where the binds wrapped around the powerful neck. "What is your name, great dragon?"

She seemed surprised at the question, "_I do not have one, human. What is yours?_"

"I'm Hiccup," he motioned to the blonde beside him, watching the dragon with awe, "This is Astrid." The redhead watched as the metal began to melt and the dragon break free, getting up onto her feet. "Um, if you don't mind me asking… what exactly _are_ you?"

"_I am, what humans call, a Black Lantern,_" She stretched her wings, revealing that the lines continued across her entire hide.

Astrid drew in a sharp breath even as Zalath made his way onto her shoulder. "Wow," she whispered and took a step forward before pausing, looking questioningly up at the bright eyes filled with barely contained amusement.

"May I—_we_ call you Sky?" Hiccup asked, watching the blonde carefully, but knew the Lantern probably wouldn't attack; she seemed too clam.

The dragon nodded. "_Of course,_" her head went down, sniffing curiously over Astrid before nudging the girl with her flat nose, letting a small hand run over her surprisingly smooth body—no scales in sight. "_You are curious creatures… are you not?_" Sky chuckled as a few fingers ran over the markings on her face.

"How many other dragons are down here?"

Sky leaned back but urged Astrid to continue running her hands over the soft skin. "_To be honest, I do not know. There are enough, however, to cause some disruption in the ranks._" She shook, wickedly spiked tail curling, "_And they brought a Soul Stealer down here a few days ago with the Black King._"

"Black King?"

"_Night Fury._"

Hiccup drew in a sharp breath, "Where is he? Do you know?"

"_Yes, I will show you,_" and she turned around, leading them in the darkness, passing some curled forms, a few cages, and a pile of what looked like skeletons from creatures long gone. Finally, they reached a pen, and Hiccup saw the trademark slim body of his friend.

"Toothless?" He whispered, coming closer. Zalath scrambled forward, lighting up the collar around the dragon's neck. "_Toothless_," Hiccup's voice came out in a drawn hiss and the long ears picked up, toxic eyes snapping open.

The dragon stared at him for a long moment and the teen could still smell the left over Wintergreen oil on the black nostrils as Toothless leaned forward. The chains wouldn't let him go any farther, so Hiccup stepped forward, wrapping his arms around the thick neck, burying his head into the hard, warm scales. Two awkward legs wrapped around him, soothing croons rumbling through the salamander-like form. The Black Lantern stood back respectfully even as the redhead pulled out of the strange hug and began to unlatch the muzzle around Toothless' mouth.

Everyone watched as it fell to the ground before something wet and rough flew over Hiccup's face, drenching him in saliva. "Oh, _gross!_" The teen yelled, but he was smiling and wiping away the slobber.

"_You worry me too much, Hiccup._" The Night Fury purred, burying his head against the boy's body. "_Perhaps I should just kidnap you and get it over with._"

Hiccup laughed and ran his hands over Toothless' head, feeling as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. The toxic eyes were becoming brighter until they glowed as sharply as Sky's markings.

"_And you are covered with dark magic. Again,_" Toothless snorted. "_How does this always seem to happen to you?_"

"Just unlucky, I guess… want to help us free the others?"

The Night Fury rose, making Zalath race away, climbing back onto Astrid, "_I would be __**delighted**__._" He followed them walking partially besides the redhead, helping the other three dragons free the multitude of others. A Nadder squawked awake and was quickly quieted by Hiccup, there were three Nightmares, a Gronckle, and quite a few others Hiccup couldn't recognize in the dark. For a long time, they set about getting the dragons all free, moving them into one large crowd.

"Hiccup?" Astrid called from the other end of the basement where Sky was still glowing brightly. The teen left Toothless in charge of keeping the others quiet before walking over. "I think you better handle these two…" she murmured, motioning to the last two pens. One Hiccup thought was empty before the black mass moved.

It had no eyes, but three sockets on each side of its dog like head, large Fennec Fox ears that pointed forward instead of back like most dragons, and a large hump on its back like a grizzly bear. It had no fur or scales; just muscles and stretched skin that was scarred in a multitude of places. Along the back, strange feather shaped spines pointed upwards, but the tips seemed to vanish into smoke, being whisked away by a nonexistent wind. A long tail, even longer than Toothless' and Sky's combined, had Stegosaurus plates on the dorsal side, smaller spikes between, made from bone that could rip and tear into a body, and at the tip, there was a long, sharpened scythe.

It was a Soul Stealer, but most humans had nicknamed it the Screamer for the awful cry it makes every time it rips open a body. "Um, h-hello?" It raised its head, empty holes staring at the teen, mouth opening to reveal the small needles lining the top of the jaw and the saber tooth sized teeth on the bottom.

It was terrifying, it was monstrous, and it _knew_ it, just like Hiccup knew the sun would rise for a very long time, until it finally died as it rose to heavily muscled legs, snarling. Immediately, Toothless was at Hiccup's side, baring his own teeth, gas flowing out between his lips. "_Mind your manners Harahan_," The Night Fury snapped, "_Or do you wish to stay here for the rest of your life?_"

_Harahan_, Hiccup thought, the name fit the ferocious creature as it lunged, the collar drawing it back.

"_Stand down, you foolish creature,_" Toothless ordered. "_This is no time to be stupid. And I know they starved you. These humans are off limits, you hear me? OFF LIMITS!_" The last part was followed by a sharp blast of blue that hit the ground at the Soul Stealer's feet. At last the dark creature backed down, letting Zalath come closer and burn the collar off around his neck.

As Harahan walked past, his nonexistent gaze stared at Toothless. "_You can stop me once, Black King_," He whispered, voice a strange echo in the darkness, seemingly brought to life by the very shadows. "_But never again, the two flesh creatures are safe from me. I will not promise any more._"

"_That is all I ask, Brother of Darkness_."

The last dragon was a few inches taller than Hiccup, curled around his body and shivering. Wide eyes watched from a light brown muzzle, golden eyes glinting. It was wolf-like in shape, with the same powerful jaws and legs. The matted fur would be a soft chocolate with black spots, Hiccup knew, but the poor creature was already covered in enough dust to turn even Toothless grey. The wings curling across the body weren't even fully developed yet and the spikes at the end of its reptilian tail hadn't fully come into being yet. It was the Fenrisulfur that Zalath had been talking about, and it was scared out of its wits.

"Hello," Hiccup started, getting down lower and stretching out his hand slowly. "My name's Hiccup, what's yours?" The dragonet growled deep in its throat, eyes turning up fearfully to the Night Fury. Toothless crooned soothingly.

"_We will find your mother, young one._" He said softly, "_This human means you no harm, I will promise that no pain will come to you in his hands._"

The Fenrisulfur kept Toothless' gaze for a full minute before turning back to the ever-patient Hiccup, Slowly, it moved up onto his feet, revealing the furless underbelly, and sniffed at the pale hand offered to him. "_Promise?_" She said softly, timidly.

"I promise," Hiccup said gently, smiling. "You're safe now—"

"_Wolf!_" A cry came up from a dragon near the stairs and they saw a beam of light pierce the darkness. Immediately, Sky vanished, taking the light with her. The dragonet curled up closer to Hiccup as the teen rested his hand on the Night Fury's neck.

The stairs creaked loudly before one of the large Werewolves that had been bowled over by Toothless all those nights ago appeared. He was drunk, a bottle of whiskey in his clawed hand, eyes unfocused. "Check on the beasties," he slurred angrily. "Who does she think—"

No one saw Harahan attack, but the flashlight dropped to the floor illuminating the powerful jaws locked over the werewolf's face. An eerie smoke like substance was coming from the man as he clawed at the illusive skin. A bright purple started to glow in the dragon's eyes before he leaned back, taking in a deep breath, the steam coming off the flailing form entering his mouth, saliva dripped down onto the hardened muscle and black shirt.

The werewolf screamed in agony as talons ripped apart his flesh, clawing at his eyes, ripping apart his ribcage and exposing his beating heart. A roar tore through Harahan's throat, a mixture between a Peacock's cry and a wolf's howl, making Hiccup shake and hug the two dragons closer. In a single movement, the Soul Stealer had grasped the beating heart in his jaws and tore it free, swallowing it whole before breathing in again.

As they all watched, the fog rising off the werewolf had become brighter, a sickly yellow substance that Hiccup realized was his soul. Harahan swallowed that down too, and his eye sockets burst into color before dying out again. Below him, the man twitched, shuddered, and died, his brain failing with the lack of pumping blood and oxygen.

"Oh my God…" Astrid whispered as Sky slowly brightened again, her face was ashen, her body trembling, "Oh my _God_."

Hiccup could feel bile rising in the back of his throat, but he swallowed it down, closing his eyes and looking away from the mangled body on the ground. "C-could a dragon h-hand me—" He couldn't finish his sentence, but the flashlight soared through the air, clattering on the floor and rolling across the wood, stopped by Toothless. The redhead picked it up, trying to dispel the images of Harahan's vicious hunger, and realized just what Toothless had made him promise.

Finally, after standing around for a few minutes in complete silence, Hiccup cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention. "Does anyone know a way to get out of here without going upstairs?" There was a wave of uncertainty.

"_I do, I got in._" Zalath said from his place on Astrid's shoulder, "_It is in caves, dwarf caves, that go through mountain. Large enough to fit dragons, yes._" The terror leaped back onto the floor and Hiccup had to jog to keep up with him as he twisted through the large room before coming up against a wall with a hole in it. Easily, the dragon slid through and Hiccup got down on his hands and knees, shining the flashlight inside. It _was_ the caves, he noticed, when the walls glittered.

"Hey, Astrid, could you come help me with—"

There was a light chuckle and Hiccup turned to face the Gronckle that had come up beside him. With a growl, it lunged, head bashing into the wood a few times. They cracked, split slightly, before crashing apart. The dragon looked awful pleased with itself, especially when Hiccup scratched his head.

"_Come human!_" Zalath cried, his voice echoing in the cave and, with a soft sigh, the teen followed. Astrid was at his side, Toothless behind with Sky and the Fenrisulfur, and the dragons following. A few had to tear the beams away to make it through, but each one fit snuggly.

Hiccup took a deep breath and, with his head high, followed Zalath into the darkness.

* * *

All right, let's see if I can get this done correctly:

**Fenrisulfur Copyright © ECHO230**

**Soul Stealer Copyright © Grim Revolution**

**Black Lantern Copyright © Ginger Katt**

Now that's done… a special thanks to everyone who reviewed during the past few chapters! I haven't been able to reach everyone yet, I've been a trifle busy with this. You'll probably get chapter eleven tonight. Actually, I'm pretty sure you'll get chapter eleven tonight…

Review and Happy Reading!

Grim


	11. Colors

**Colors**

_That which is perceived when light reflects off an object_

Hiccup ended up partially leaning on Toothless about two hours into the cave, his body still hadn't gotten used to the possession from earlier. The dragon and Astrid had cried out in worry when he had swayed and almost fallen a few times before until the Night Fury forced the teen to place one hand against his black hide. Even though he couldn't see them, the redhead could feel the crowd of dragons watching him from behind.

The flashlight firmly followed Zalath through the maze of tunnels as the Terror bounded along, sniffing at corners and weaving around large outcrops. There had been a few small places where the rocks had to be melted down for some of the larger dragons to get through, but in all, the journey through the darkness was much more comforting than the dark, grimy place behind them.

They were starting to relax, whispers waking in the darkness, before a howl, made the posse pause. "What was that?" Astrid whispered, looking back and only seeing gleaming eyes. Hiccup frowned, calling for Zalath to stop for a moment, and they listened.

"_Wolves!_" A Nadder cried just as a Nightmare shouted "_Vampires!_" In the small tunnels, the dragons erupted into panic.

"Wait! Quiet!" Hiccup tried, to no avail.

The howls were coming closer.

"_SHUT UP!_" The snarl came from Toothless, who was watching them all with narrowed eyes. "_You're giving them a target! Stop panicking and settle down,_" The Night Fury turned his expectant gaze to Hiccup, waiting patiently as the teen gaped at him before shaking his head.

"They're coming closer," Astrid murmured, listening. "There are only four werewolves, though."

Hiccup frowned, "We'll keep moving. Harahan, would you move to the back please?" The Soul Stealer grunted, but slid through the small gaps between dragons, making his way past the last few creatures until vanishing from sight. "Now, Zalath? Continue, please."

The Terrible Terror nodded and went back to his job, twice as fast as before. Hiccup found himself struggling to keep up, but Toothless was always by his side. Sky was behind them, lighting up the side of the cavern walls with her glowing stripes, herding the Fenrisulfur dragonet at her side. The howls were getting closer, and the tunnels became more numerous, making Zalath stop a few times to make sure he was going the right way.

When their surroundings became familiar, Hiccup was able to relax. They were nearing the exit, and he hoped—a four fingered hand wrapped around his waist, dragging him into one of the side tunnels. Toothless roared in fury but his way was stopped by two vampires who had managed to use the other caves to surround the dragons.

Trapped.

The mountain shook under the force of a blast that left Hiccup's ears ringing for awhile. Still gripping the flashlight, the teen turned it up to focus on his kidnapper's face. And saw nothing—the light glimmered. "Zai!" He cried, struggling and feeling his shirt tearing under the grey scales. "L-let me go!"

"_I'm not one to disobey orders, Speaker,_" The Ghostly Shade hissed, moving like a serpent through the rocks, his long body twisting and turning with all the grace of a breeze. "_Zach wants you back, and I was sent to fetch you_."

Hiccup pulled against the iron grip, his fingers trying to open the powerful grip, to no use, "Toothless! TOOTHLESS!" His head hit some rock, silencing the redhead for a moment as he tried to clear away the stars in his eyes. Something warm was trickling down the back of his neck, and he didn't need to see it to know that it was blood.

Suddenly, Zai stopped, freezing in the darkness, sniffing, "_Who's there?_" The dragon ordered, back pedaling slightly. "_Answer me!_" There was silence, the only sound being the echoing roar across the rocks, "_I will get you back_," Zai swore and continued.

"T-the Black K-King won't like this," Hiccup tried desperately. "He'll c-come for you!"

The Ghostly Shade chuckled hoarsely, but Hiccup felt the muscles in the hand twitch, "_He holds no power over me_—"

"_But I do._"

In a flash, Zai appeared, his eyes glowing red and wild in the darkness, long fangs bared. He stared out into the shadows, body curling up, making himself seem smaller. "_You hold nothing over me, Legion_," but the dragon didn't look all that convinced, "_and you can't touch me right now, not in your state._"

"_I have eaten,_" With a short gasp, Hiccup realized where the bone chilling voice was coming from, even though he couldn't see the creature, the teen hoped the Soul Stealer would remember the promise he had made to Toothless. "_It was a tasty werewolf… his soul was filled with so much wickedness… but you, Zai… I could sense you the second you entered the caves_." The claws around the teen tightened, making him gasp sharply as they bruised his skin. "_One last chance, Ghost, or your soul will be added to my collection. But don't worry; you'll meet your __**master**_ _again—through different eyes._"

The Ghostly Shade was debating with himself for what seemed to be the longest time before snorting and dropping the teen on the ground. He bared his fangs at the shadows before vanishing again, going through one of the walls. "_You nor the King can still my master's wrath, Legion_."

"_Trust me, Zai; I look forward to when we might meet again,_" Harahan stepped up beside Hiccup, head close to the floor. "_I swore I would avenge my brother and I intend to keep that promise._" There was no answer, the Soul Stealer nodded and guided the teen back through the tunnels until they reached the torn and mangled bodies of the vampires that he blocked Toothless.

Speaking of the Night Fury, he was pacing the rocky floor, growling deeply to himself. His head picked up when he caught Hiccup's scent and almost bowled Harahan on his way past, looking over the teen with a frantic look in his eyes. "_He didn't harm you, did he? I smell blood—_"

"I'm fine, just fine; I hit my head," Hiccup answered easily, running his fingers over the black scales. "He didn't do anything to me."

Toothless eyed him over before herding him back to Astrid who was running her hands over the dragonet's soft fur. Sky was watching them, her own head picking up when Hiccup approached. "_Ah, there's the trouble maker. The little one says her name is Azula. It's not much to finding her mother, but it's a start._"

"Azula," Hiccup whispered, smiling and holding his hand out to the dragonet. "It is a pleasure to meet you." She snorted, but cowered away when Harahan walked past her, taking his place back at the end of the line as rear guard. Zalath was perched on an outcrop, his large, yellow eyes watching everything.

The rest of the dragons seemed all right; most had settled down, some had blood across their scales, others still had flesh clinging to their claws and talons. "Everyone okay?" Hiccup asked, turning to Toothless.

Nodding, the Night Fury looked up at Sky, "_Yes, no one was harmed except for a few bumped heads __and scratches. There were few vampires and even fewer werewolves._" His long black tail curled cat-like around his body, "_easily taken care of_."

Zalath leaped down from his perch, padding to Hiccup and sitting by his foot until the teen gave him his full attention. "_We need to go quickly now. Sun setting, caves get dark and the opening difficult to find._"

"Lead the way!" The Terrible terror turned back around, leaping through the caves at the same pace as before when the wolves and vampires were chasing them. Hiccup found himself leaning partially on Toothless again before he was forced onto the Night Fury's back and helped Astrid to climb up as well. The scales rubbed roughly against their pants and they had to duck low, but it was a lot faster than hobbling along and stumbling.

Azula was trying to keep up, but as she dropped back a bit, a Nightmare gently picked her up in its monstrous jaws like a pup and continued to move onward. It was about ten more minutes before Hiccup could see the vanishing sunlight. Zalath was the first to clear the caves, then Toothless, the Nightmare and Fenrisulfur, Sky, and the rest of the dragons. Last was Harahan, who looked less of something that walked straight out of a nightmare and more of like an evil dog who had just went through Hell and came back as the devil's pet.

Both teens laughed in relief at the sight of the pens, Astrid's arms wrapping around Hiccup's waist as she laid her chin on his shoulder. He ignored the jolt of pain and just enjoyed the wind brushing his hair away from his face.

"Hiccup? HICCUP! ASTRID!" They both recognized the matching head of blonde racing towards them, Ruffnut and Tuffnut hadn't changed; the girl had a blackened eye, and the boy had a bloody nose. Both twins looked quite startled to see all the dragons, but equally relieved to notice the teens. "Man, we've been looking _everywhere_ for you guys!" Tuffnut said, stopping a fair distance away from Toothless; but not enough to have to yell. "Stoick's been going nuts—what happened to your face, Hicca?"

The teen flinched at the butchering of his name. "I got into a fight with a rock and lost," he said dryly, trying to dismount and groaned in irritation when Toothless wouldn't let him. "What are you two doing here still anyway?"

"No one trusts their kiddos alone anymore," Ruffnut shrugged, "It's all your fault."

"_She's right,_" Toothless said easily, his eyes twinkling in mirth, "_You're the reason, probably, why there's so many rules around this place_."

Hiccup rolled his eyes, "thanks for being supportive," he grumbled back, ignoring the twins' widening eyes before looking over at the young dragonet. "Are you all right?"

Her canine face rose, jaw opening and closing for a moment. "_Yes_," she said at last. "_I-I'm all right._" For a long moment, she didn't seem like she knew what to do with herself, "_Um, my name's Azula_."

Sky, who's neck was about three times the length of Toothless' even though their body size was about the same, nudged the dragonet closer to her body, the blue stripes slowly fading to dark blue on her hide. The Black Lantern whispered soothing words to Azula before standing up straight once more.

"Welcome to the Dragon Reserve, Azula," Hiccup said, smiling. "We'll have to go to my father to find your nest… will you come with us?" Azula looked up at Sky, "Don't worry," the redhead soothed, "she can come as well."

The Fenrisulfur nodded happily and bounded forward as Zalath landed easily on Hiccup's head. "_I will be going back to my mate, now, Dragon Speaker. I wish you the best of luck._" Then he was gone, flying slightly awkwardly through the air, small form disappearing easily in the tall grass.

"Time to go, Toothless," Hiccup murmured, watching as Sky urged more pets from Astrid, the blonde laughing softly at the round nose nudging her in the side. "We're off to see the boss, the boss of the dragon reserve…"

"_You are a very, very strange child,_" The Night Fury said, shaking his great head before falling to step with a twin on either side. They walked in silence, leaving the large group of dragons behind nestled in a crowd (with a large berth around the sulking Soul Stealer). It took a lot more time, it seemed like, to get to the main building, but Hiccup just assumed it was due to the fact he hadn't really gotten out all that much for the past few days.

Both Hiccup and Astrid had to dismount before entering the building; there was just no way they could fit through the doorway. Toothless, Sky, and Azula followed, the dragonet giggling as she watched both adults struggle through the opening.

But then, chaos was breeched as the Night Fury saw, for the first time, what his friend's face looked like in the light. "_Who did it?_" He hissed, body tense, ready to pounce on an invisible opponent, "_Answer me, Hiccup!_"

"It doesn't matter anymore," The redhead soothed. "It happened the night we were taken."

"_Not that,_" Toothless grumbled, nodding at the long cut on his cheek. "_Any excuse for that?_"

Hiccup sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, "Okay, _that_ was Zach. He was… getting frustrated about me not being able to—" The teen was cut off sharply.

"Hiccup?" He turned to face his father, standing with Azalea and Spitelout in the doorway. Immediately both parents strode forward, pulling their child into their arms. "Jesus Christ… Hiccup," Stoick whispered, pulling the small boy closer. "My son… are you all right?" The burly man pulled back, looking over him. "Nothing hurting or broken?"

"No, I'm fine, Dad, really." Hiccup said, "Look, I need to tell you something—"

"Hold on son; Azalea!" The blonde looked up from checking over her daughter and saw the ferociously bruised face of Hiccup. "Could you look over him? Check that everything's fine?" She nodded immediately and kneeled before him, checking his legs first.

The teen blushed when he heard the soft snickers coming from the twins, they were only silenced by a sharp glare from Astrid. "Dad—"

But Stoick wasn't listening, talking to his second in command instead; "Spitelout, call back the search parties, tell them that both children have come back, escaped, probably, but came back."

"Dad—"

"Gobber, call the police, get an officer over here pronto, I want a full statement by—"

Hiccup took in a single deep breath. "DAD!" He cried, making Azula flinch backwards before he placed a gentle hand on her pelt. "Will you please listen to me!" The room stilled, all eyes on the redhead. "Look, we were taken by Zach… well, Laura, actually—"

"Laura?" Spitelout asked, his eyes narrowing, "The black witch?"

"Sure, yeah, whatever. Anyway, they're planning an attack on the Reserve, Dad! Sometime this week!"

Stoick shook his head, "Hiccup, you were just kidnapped—"

The redhead ground his teeth, eyes flashing, "Are you _not_ hearing me?!" He snapped. "I heard them talking about it! Zach wants to attack the reserve bringing the vampires and werewolves in. He was going to use dragons but we set them free and now he's probably going to settle on something else—you can't just ignore it this time, Dad!" Hiccup shook his head, "you can't just ignore _me_!"

"Hiccup—"

"No, dad," The redhead snapped, his teeth slightly bared and voice dipping into dragonese, bringing up the snarls and growls, "this time you're going to listen to me; yes, I was kidnapped, _yes_ I was possessed, and _yes_ we were starved but _I am not delusional!_" He took a deep breath, "I _know_ that I heard Zach talking about attacking the reserve, I _know _that he wants to corner the keepers between the mountains. I don't _know_ when he wanted to do this, only that he did. So please, for once in your life, _believe_ me, and don't just brush this off _again_!"

* * *

Astrid found him two hours later next to the entrance of the caves. The other dragons had already taken off and the only ones still left behind were Sky, Azula, and Toothless. The Night Fury had curled himself around the boy, purring gently in his lap. All their eyes, however, were focused on the lit up pens that brightened steadily as the sun went down.

Hiccup watched her sit down beside him, pulling her knees up to her chest. "He didn't listen, did he?"

The redhead sighed, "He's putting up more security at night, and I won't be able to leave the house for a few days without an escort." He sighed and placed his head in his hands. "This is all just so…so…"

"Idiotic?"

"Sure, we'll go with that," Hiccup muttered, brushing his fingers over Toothless' head. "They're all going to die, and we can't do anything about it."

Astrid chuckled. "Says the boy who's sitting beside a Night Fury," She grinned. "When are you ever going to have enough faith in yourself?" The blonde leaned forwards so her lips were an inch from his ear. "I _can_ drive, you know."

Hiccup's lips twisted into a wicked grin.

* * *

Not so much action in this one... an oh! Zai and Harahan have a background! Ooooooh...

XD

Review and Happy Reading!

Grim


	12. Texture

**Texture**

_How things feel or look as though they might feel_

It had been a week. A long insufferable week of worries and staying up late. Hiccup had taken to sitting in his bed at night, staring out the window if it was time, if it had happened, and if his father would or wouldn't arrive. But Stoick always pulled through; tired, cranky, but alive. The first day had been hell with the redhead pacing furiously inside, drawing, and even going out to make art out of the rocks and boulders. He had come back, dirty, smelly, and sweaty from hiking when the phone rang.

Astrid, Astrid was on the phone, with _him_. Hiccup had spent a few good moments in shock until he was brought quickly out of his stupor by the blonde who was talking furiously. It seemed as if the other teenagers had created some sort of network around themselves, easily getting enough important information that could be pieced together. Astrid told him everything, to the heightened security, the escorts, the cancelled tours, and the disappearances of Keepers (Ruffnut ended up finding out that they were preparing the caves, just in case).

The redhead had been flattered, jotting down notes, connecting the dots, and drawing up plans of his own.

When Saturday came and went, Hiccup found his father home for dinner, both of them eating silently as the sun set outside, casting large shadows across the wall. Stoick's cell phone rang, the classic Pink Panther theme that was placed with Gobber's name, but it wasn't Gobber who spoke.

It was Elizabeth. "The wards have fallen," she said before hanging up. Immediately, Hiccup watched as his father left his plate and dinner (something really unheard of before) and rushed out the door. The redhead watched as his father tore down the driveway and, when the Ford disappeared from view, he went back inside to place the half-eaten meals in the fridge, loosing his appetite.

Now, he sat on the couch, twiddling his thumbs and staring into the fireplace. He had already remade Toothless' saddle, had finished a few random drawings, and was now anxious, waiting. He had just about fallen asleep when the doorbell rang twice, waking him from his stupor and causing him to check the porch.

He couldn't see anyone from the window so, taking a deep breath, Hiccup swung the door inward, hoping it wasn't Zach or any of his cronies. The hug he received instead pushed all suspicions aside. "Astrid! H-hey, hi Astrid… Astrid?" The redhead shouted, wrapping his arms around her shoulders before pulling back. "What are you doing here?"

The blonde's bright eyes glistened in amusement. "That's my name, Hiccup; don't wear it out. And, anyway, did you not just realize that your father went bursting out of the door--?"

"Hard to miss, actually," Hiccup deadpanned.

Astrid laughed and punched him lightly on the shoulder. "Do you have everything? Saddle?"

He nodded, hoisting the object over his shoulder. "So, I'm guessing it's time?"

"Yes, we thought—"

"Whoa," Hiccup paused, key in the lock, wide green eyes staring up at her. "_We_?"

Laughing, Astrid motioned beyond the porch to where a large, fire-truck-red van was sitting in his driveway. Ruffnut was behind Fishlegs, laughing at her brother who was furiously trying to get around the large boy. Snotlout was the one who noticed Hiccup looking down at them and waved cheerfully from his place leaning against the door.

"Did you think we would want to miss the excitement too?" She asked, but her eyes were serious. "Besides; you're the kid with a plan." Astrid roughly pushed Tuffnut out of the way, clearing the path for Hiccup to get in the passenger seat. The twin grumbled before climbing into the back, Fishlegs still separating him from his sister.

The van came smoothly to life and Hiccup found himself in the center of attention. "What?"

"What do you think, Dragon Boy?" Ruffnut grinned, leaning back against the seat, arms crossed over her chest. "Tell us the game plan," when she was sure her brother was looking, the middle finger went up, Tuffnut returned in kind, sneering before sulking up against his own seat.

Hiccup gaped at her for a long moment then turned around, digging in his pockets were he kept his paper and notes. "All right, so from what Fishlegs could get out of his parents—" the linebacker sized teen grinned in pride "—most of the security is focused around the northern part of the valley, which would be attacked by both Vampires and Werewolves."

"Who could cut them off from the reservation," Snotlout said, his expression serious for the first time Hiccup had ever seen. "He'll try to get them away from any type of help—"

"No," Astrid denied, carefully keeping her eyes on the road. "Zach likes to gloat; he'll push them towards the reservation, goading and mocking Stoick."

Nodding, Hiccup drew both plans in. "They could also have dragons that we missed when we were escaping still under possession—which could mean a great strain on Zach anyway, so he won't be joining the fight until he knows they'll have a victory, or he looses enough dragons to force his hand."

"Dragons, vamps, or wolves," Tuffnut corrected. "He might not need control over all of them, but for enough numbers to attack the Reserve? He'll need more than just a few packs and Brethrens."

Hiccup shook his head, "Muhammad's in charge of the werewolves; they're _his_ pack."

Fishlegs paled.

"But," Ruffnut murmured, "If Muhammad falls… then the wolves who didn't want to be there in the first place would go, right? So all we need to do is finish him off."

In the far back, Snotlout snorted. "It won't be that easy; first of all, are you prepared to kill someone, Ruff? And anyway, what's to say that the others won't fight for revenge on killing their alpha?"

There was no answer from the others, but Hiccup had gotten an idea. They were pulling up to the reservation now, and the redhead grinned widely. "Guys, picture this; we use the _dragons_."

Silence before—

"Are you fucking insane?" Ruffnut cried at the same time as her brother, Snotlout stared at Hiccup with a strange look on his face, and Astrid? She didn't look all to concerned about it, but he saw her hands tighten on the steering wheel. "Did you hit your head or something—"

"Yes, actually," Hiccup cut her off swiftly. "I know you guys might think I'm crazier than a Terror high on Garlic grass; but the truth is, we're going to need the dragons' help if we could ever even hope to defeat these guys. If any of you are uncomfortable with that, I can respect your decision."

They turned the corner to face the Reservation, and Astrid slammed on the breaks sending most of them flying forward. Hiccup rubbed at his forehead from where it had hit the dash and gasped.

Fire crackled, eating away at the main building like a starving dragon. Red, orange, and yellow reached up in the twilight, licking at the stars that seemed just out of their reach. The teenagers got out of the car, staring in horror at the sight before Hiccup swung the saddle over his back and began to run. He didn't care if the others followed, he didn't care if anyone saw him; the only thing on his mind at the moment was Toothless and Azula.

The pens burst upwards with an explosion that rocked the ground, blue flames arched and hit something out of the sky, a victorious roar following; "_Take that!_" Toothless yelled before hitting another dragon out of the sky. Hiccup vaulted over the scarred and broken fence, landing in the middle of a battlefield. Bodies—conscious, unconscious, or dead he didn't know—littered the ground as even more people fought around him. The teen was able to duck beneath a Werewolf as it tackled a vampire and dodge a crazed witch shooting fireballs at _everyone_ (friend or foe be damned).

Around them, the air crackled before lightning shot past the redhead's face, hitting a werewolf that had gotten too close. Green eyes turned to see Ruffnut, her fist smoking, but eyes narrowed as she grinned like the Cheshire cat. Beside her, Tuffnut snapped his hands together, sending a shockwave of noise before him, knocking people off their feet.

Astrid wasn't too far behind, her sword glinting in the light of the full moon with Snotlout beside her, fire crackling over his fists. "Where to, Dragon boy?!" They yelled and Hiccup found himself smiling and wondering if this was what having friends was like.

"Where's Fishlegs?"

"Grabbing the keys!" Ruffnut shouted, blasting and frying a Vampire, electricity fizzing around her fingers. "Lead us, oh high and mighty one!" They created a circle around him; Snotlout in back, the twins on either side with Astrid in front. Everyone stayed clear of her sword, leaping away when the metal whistled past their body.

They made it to the pens easily, seeing that some barriers had all ready been broken into. "_Dragons!_" Hiccup cried, jumping over a heavily bleeding man, "_Zalath, Toothless, Sky!_" There was a rumble before the pen closest to him exploded outwards, Sky's body glowing brightly in the darkness, Azula at her side. Toothless bounded towards them, his body barrelling over any and all stupid enough to get in his way. Zalath was the last to come, his family following willingly. "All right," Hiccup grinned at them all, but turned his focus to the Terrors. "Zalath, could you and your family go out and ask for five dragons willing to carry humans on their backs?" Immediately the small dragons scattered.

A loud wail rose in the air and the teens realized it was the alarm for the barriers. The magic surrounding each pen shuddered and failed, releasing the caged dragons. Lucky was the first one into the air, his large wings flapping as he tasted sweet freedom.

"_Hiccup,_" Toothless looked down at the saddle, "_it is time_."

"_Dragon Speaker!_" They turned to Zalath, wincing as another sound wave from Tuffnut sent people flying back. "_We found five; Nadder, Zippleback, Nightmare, and Gronckle._" Sure enough, the said dragons landed, smoke coming from the Nightmare's nostrils. Hiccup quickly fastened the saddle on Toothless, turning to the teens as he mounted his friend. "Ruff, Tuff, you're on the Zippleback, Snotlout—the Nightmare, Astrid, you're on the Nadder, tell Fishlegs that he's on the Gronckle!"

The Night Fury fidgeted impatiently until the boy had finished speaking before shooting off into the sky. Hiccup watched as Sky stood guard over the frightened dragonet, guiding her to the caves. He gasped when Toothless dared a barrel roll, a ball of red fire shooting past them. The teen glanced back, seeing the large black-blue colored creature behind them.

Rearing his head back, the black dragon returned the fire before tilting upwards, leading the other creature into the light before dipping into a steep dive. Closing his green eyes, Hiccup held onto the saddle, pressing his body as close to the sleek body as he could. They were going straight down, free falling until—it seemed like inches when it was in fact, a few yards above the ground—Toothless snapped his wings open, changing direction and weaving around startled fighters and shooting back upwards. A sickening crack followed by a howl of agony and pain rose behind them.

Neither turned to look.

Two pairs of green watched the battlefield, keeping an eye on the fights below as well as anything coming in from the back. Hiccup caught sight of his father fighting beside Gobber; the blonde's gun was firing repeatedly, without any need for bullets. People and creatures fell around him like prisoners in a Nazi Concentration Camp. Stoick was strictly using his own magic as well; though a lot more obvious than his best friend. The earth trembled and swallowed a group of charging vampires, wrapping them up in a solid embrace.

Azalea was not too far away, wrestling with a smaller dragon; Hiccup guessed it was a Gronckle, but couldn't be sure. Toothless' ear twitched before they spiraled upwards into the clouds as something pushed the clouds aside. It went past the redhead's cheek, making him wince at the heat of the invisible fire.

"_FURY!_"

"_Stay close, Hiccup,_" The ebony dragon whispered, turning through the clouds with speed the teen had never tasted before. Another blast of clear fire shot past them, tearing through the clouds and Hiccup found he could hear the wings of their pursuer behind them.

Pressing his body close to Toothless, Hiccup took a deep breath. "_When he tries to fire again, turn and get him in the mouth_,"

"_What?!_" But they both heard the small hissing that came with every dragon gathering gas in their mouth. The teen was almost dislodged as the Night Fury flipped, firing a blast at the fur covered creature behind them.

It had large, blood-red feathered eagle wings with tips that looked as though they had been dipped in ink. Ebony hair covered most of its body except for a patch just below the throat. A red mane—much like a lion's—puffed up around the slender throat, making it seem remarkably like a mix between the King of the Jungle and a Komodo dragon. A single, Kleenex white eye on the right stared back at them, partnered with a Christmas red on the left.

The ball of sapphire hit it in the face and exploded on impact; it tried to howl, but it only came out as a gurgle before plummeting to the ground. Toothless didn't bother to follow it, instead pulling above the clouds, breathing in forced measurements. They soared for a moment in silence then vanished back into the clouds, heading back for the battle.

A Nadder rushed by them, clawing at a red and black dragon with a fiery mane and tail. Hiccup saw Astrid urging her mount on, eyes wild with glee, sword sheathed across her back. Snotlout and his Nightmare were causing chaos; they had lit themselves on fire and plunged into large crowds of enemies, laughing maniacally as the people raced around, screaming. Grass burned where ever the duo went, but didn't catch; neither having any desire to start a forest fire (no matter how effective it might be to clear out everyone else).

Their eyes turned to the mountain side where Sky was fiercely battling with a Bone Napper. One by one—from the tip of her tail to the top of her head—the stripes lit up, creating a wave effect. When the swirls on her face began to glow, violet flame spiraled out, catching the Bone Napper and sending it flying backwards with the almost solid force.

It was something else, though, that caught Hiccup's attention; Azula, cowering beside the boulders that now blocked the entrance to the cave, didn't see the large creature descending upon her from above.

The scales were white—a blinding, snow-in-sunlight bright—with long feathers sticking up like spines on its back. A crown of violet feathers covered the lender, blunt head, with light blue ones creating a tuff on the tip if the tail. Each, the teen knew, were sharper than most knives.

Hiccup recognized the species immediately; an Ice Horn. The large, bird-like wings were spread for balance as it landed behind the unsuspecting dragonet, hunger glistening in bright, clear blue sky eyes. Slowly, it opened its wide jaws, a small glow building up in the center. One of the only dragons to not use fire, the Ice Dragon regularly used liquid nitrogen to freeze its prey.

And that's what the small Fenrisulfur looked to it; food.

"_AZULA_!"

Black pupils turned an icy blue; the great head reared back, large jaws opening. Toothless dove, black wings pressed tightly against his body, toxic eyes narrowed, but he yelped, turning away as a large brown figure stormed past him, large wings beating unmercifully, easily out stripping the Night Fury. They watched as the light glow grew bigger in the white dragon's mouth, ready to fire, before it blasted outwards and up into the sky, a roar of agony following as a pair of large, toothy jaws wrapped around the thin throat.

Most of the fighting around the caves had stilled, watching as the two large dragons thrashed and clawed. The Ice Thorn was bleeding, but it was the other that gained everyone's attention. At least twenty five feet in height, a wingspan of over one-hundred fifty feet, and a body shaped like a monstrous, blood thirsty wolf. A Fenrisulfur, but Hiccup would bet it wasn't just any one of the furred dragons, but Azula's vengeful mother.

She held no mercy for the white dragon; ripping with her claws, tearing with her teeth. Large wings flapped for balance as the Ice Horn struggled below her. A blast of ice through the Fenrisulfur off for a moment, but the ice clinging to her fur was shaken off like a dog would water.

"_How __**DARE **__you!_" She screeched, "_**You will never touch my child, rotten creature!**_" Azula's mother pulled back her yellow stained muzzle. A howl grew in her throat, growing louder and louder, golden eyes beginning to glow a furious turquoise, before the song burst loose from her throat, followed by a beam—not a ball or a blast, but a beam—of silver, gold, and scarlet that wove together like a great tapestry that struck the Ice Horn with a resounding _boom_.

Sharpened feathers sliced against the brown hide, but the thick fur dissuaded the attempt; built for raw stamina and strength to protect its bearer from the harsh winters of the north. Another blast of ice just about knocked the mother off her feet, freezing her muzzle and giving the Ice Horn to scramble back up. The white dragon was panting, blood pouring from wounds in its stomach, neck, and back. It was no longer fighting for food, but for its life.

"_Mercy,_" The dragon slurred, stumbling and swaying drunkenly. "_Please, have mercy!_"

"_Would you have given my child mercy, Horn? Or would you have torn out her throat?_" The Fenrisulfur snarled, muscles tensing. "_You would have given her no mercy! So I shall show you none!_" She lunged, her teeth wrapping around the long throat once more, but this time, a quick twist of her head, and the neck snapped. Wriggling her head back and forth, Azula's mother made sure that the white dragon was, indeed, dead before lifting her muzzle to the sky and howling in victory.

An explosion rocked the spectators, watching as Ruffnut and Tuffnut flew through the air, their Zippleback creating large clouds of gas and exploding them easily, right after flying through them, throwing off the dragon behind it with bark like scales and leaves peppering the long body. It accidently flew through one of the clouds, lighting itself on fire and screeching in agony. Following them was Fishlegs, looking Awkward on his Gronckle. Behind them, a blue dragon with large, fish-like dorsal fin was roaring, and it was not difficult to see why; the small, round dragon had relieved it self on the larger creature's face.

Both Hiccup and Toothless burst into laughter, watching as the water dragon chased after the amazingly quick duo. "Oh, man…" The teen said, still chuckling as he wiped his eyes. They flew quickly among the fight, taking out any dragons about to strike the keepers, when the redhead caught sight of his father again, and drew in a sharp breath.

Stoick faced Bella, his hands clenched, teeth bared, before Hiccup was forced to loose sight of the burly man; Toothless doing quick maneuvers to throw off the Summoner on his tail.

It was a strange creature; scale and hairless… it didn't even have skin. Looking like a stereotypical European dragon that went through a butcher shop. It still had two grey eyes—it was blind—and the obnoxious power to shoot a foul smelling, poisonous gas that, while it couldn't light on fire, could still kill a man. The Night Fury gave it a joy ride, twisting and turning until Hiccup thought he would vomit then, the black dragon tilted, squeezing through a tunnel in the mountain and coming out on the other side. The Summoner? Not so much.

Both heard the stone crack from where it had hit it, and the agonized roar as the bones in its wings shattered. Flapping strongly, Toothless turned them back into the valley were gunshots rang out like mad. Hiccup found Gobber quickly enough, watching with wide eyes as the blonde loaded a Werewolf with large, silver bullets. Blood pouring from jaws already stained with other's lives, the golden eyes stared at the gun before closing slowly, clawed hands relaxing.

Every single werewolf turned, their eyes gleaming in the moon light as the body fell, arching back, before landing in the dead and blackened grass. Gobber raised his fist to the sky with pride, his blue eyes gleaming.

"THE ALPHA IS DEAD!"

* * *

*Whistles inoccently*

Please review and Happy Reading!

Grim


	13. Shape

**Shape**

_An area clearly set off by one or more visual element of art_

Everyone froze, Toothless sputtered and lost a few feet in the air, quickly flapping to regain it, and Gobber, Gobber raised his gun at the rest of the wolves, ready for the attack he was positive would come. A heavily scarred werewolf stepped up, his lips twisted back, revealing long canines… then, as two parts, they lunged and crashed.

The battle for a leader began.

For everyone else, they left the wolves alone; it would be best when a new leader was evoked and see where their opinion landed. Gobber lowered his weapon before turning on his heel and blasting a vampire trying to sneak up behind him in the face.

Hiccup was torn from watching when a blast of explosive fire hit him and the Night Fury across the side. They flipped through the air, plummeting before the large, black wings widened and brushed a few bits of grass still standing tall. With ease and hatred, Toothless flew straight up into the air, turned, and dived again. They approached the startled Nadder like a bullet before the black dragon opened his mouth and fired.

The bird like beast was quick to try to get back higher into the air, but didn't stand a chance when black talons dug into its hard pelt. Hanging onto the ebony dragon for his dear life, pressing his freckled cheek against the warm scales, Hiccup listened to the Nadder screech and gurgle until it hung limply from Toothless' talons. Huffing, the Night Fury tossed it away into the horde of werewolves and grunted before lifting back into the safety of the higher skies.

They saw a new fight, between Azula's mother and the odd fur and feathered dragon—a Steel Wing, Hiccup guessed, but wasn't sure—they had hit out from above the clouds fighting furiously over the dead body of the Ice Horn. The dragonet was back behind Sky as the Black Lantern watched the shadows carefully, her mouth smoking.

A Wind Demon—body a light grey with feathered wings and a scaled body—raced hungrily after the much smaller Zippleback. It opened its large mouth, about to swallow the dragon and the twins whole until a lightning bolt hit it in the back of its throat, piercing through the other side and tearing apart flesh and scales.

Snotlout wasn't that far behind, his Nightmare wrestling violently with a Bone Napper. Both had lit themselves on fire, clawing (the Nightmare mostly with its back legs) and snapping. Fire flashed between the two, but neither could really tell, seeing that they were both impervious.

It was Fishlegs, though, that Hiccup felt a small burst of panic for; the burly teen was urging his Gronckle against a large Changeling, dodging bursts of black acid. But the round dragon was tiring and, in one desperate last attempt, fired its last shot, catching the changeling in the wing. The molten rock hissed and sizzled as it crashed into the undefended skin, leaving the dragon screeching, but Fishlegs was gone, guiding his dragon back to the pens.

"Hiccup! HICCUP!" The redhead's attention was drawn magnetically to the voice, where he saw Astrid approaching on her Nadder; both were covered in blood and enjoying every minute of it. The large dragon pulled up beside Toothless and stayed there, both keeping an eye and ear on their surroundings, prepared. "Hiccup, I've just got some news from my mom—Zach was seen, awhile ago, coming out of the caves."

"So he's _here_?" Green eyes skewered the battle below, but couldn't see the magician. "But, why hasn't he showed himself yet?"

The blonde shook her head. "Because the Werewolves were still fighting," She motioned to the diminishing group of wolves, most had fled back into the mountain, but others had stayed to fight, albeit half-heartedly. "Now that most are gone—"

"And his dragons are diminishing," he whispered watching as Sky easily tore apart another Black Lantern—with green stripes instead of blue—and the Fenrisulfur, at last, finished off the Steel Wing. "His followers are falling… Astrid, we could actually—LOOK OUT!"

Both girl and dragon were knocked about in the air, falling quickly. The Nadder struggled, wings pressed against its body, clawing at something neither Toothless nor Hiccup could see, but the Night Fury dived, racing towards the blonde that was quickly approaching the ground. He managed to get her by the arm and gently placed her on the ground before taking off towards the Bird-like dragon. It screeched, clawing as its body was constricted. They heard its ribs snap, blood squirting out of the beak-like snout, before it fell limp. The body hit the ground, dead, before Zai appeared.

His long serpentine body quivered in glee before bright blue caught the Night Fury's toxic green. Laughing, he vanished again, but they could hear his body moving through the night. "_Hello, Black King_," He said the title mockingly, spinning around, making his voice come from everywhere.

"_Hello, Zai._" Toothless said back politely, calmly, his mouth inching up into a large grin.

"_What are you smiling about—_" The Ghostly Shade was cut off as his invisible body suddenly appeared again; something wrenched it back by the tail. Zai howled in anger, turning on the creature that dared to touch him—and was greeted by a large, violet and crimson blast that missed his face by inches.

Harahan's empty gaze stared back, muzzle twisted into a vicious snarl. "_I warned you, Ghost_," He snapped, large wings keeping him steady as he circled between Hiccup and the Chinese Dragon. "_Now I will add your soul_." The Soul Stealer lunged, mouth open wide, fangs bared. Zai was able to twist out of his way, trying to circle around the body.

But he couldn't trap smoke. Finally, his mouth closed on one Harahan's legs, just as the black muzzle closed around his stomach. Both tore and twisted, battling with such a vengeance that the Fenrisulfur was outmatched. The Soul Stealer's long tail dragged the scythe on the tip across the grey hide, spraying dark blood across the canine face. Together, they let go at the same time, circling before lunging again.

Hiccup watched in horror as Harahan weakened, having been starved for so long. Zai took such a moment to manage to wrap his body around the flesh that was starting to form under the blackness. Talons grasped desperately again the grey hide, ripping and tearing, but the Ghostly Shade tasted victory, tightening. He was so enraptured with his glee, that the Ghost didn't see the smirk of victory come over his opponent's face.

The eye sockets closest to Harahan's muzzle lit up in a brilliant, bright yellow and the smoke appeared back in full force, pulsing to an unheard rhythm and the redhead gasped when something burst through the shadows on the dragon's body. It was small and black, with bright yellow eyes shining and small wings beating. A cruelly sharpened beak crashed down into one of Zai's eyes.

Howling in agony and fury, the Ghost's body went limp, dropping out from around the Soul Stealer's body as the raven continued to attack. Zai snapped at the bird, his teeth crushing through—nothing. It was as if the bird wasn't even there. Which, Hiccup realized, it really wasn't; only the soul was.

Harahan laughed mockingly before his second set of sockets glowed scarlet and a fox ripped free from his body, wrapping its jaws around a grey foreleg, ripping and tearing until it had gotten a hold of bone. Harahan circled the struggling dragon with glee before lunging in himself, snapping and managing to wrap his jaws of the other's muzzle, crushing bone as he bit down, nonexistent eyes staring into Zai's changeable ones.

Black smoke was squeezing out of the Chinese dragon's body, twisting and being inhaled through Harahan's nostrils. Frantically, Zai began to wrap his body around the Soul Stealer, squeezing as hard as he could, but to no avail as twin canines crushed his skull, biting deep into the brain and killing the Ghostly Shade.

Harahan let the body go, taking a deep breath and catching the rest of the black substance. The raven and fox were called back, the light in his eyes dying before he turned to Toothless and Hiccup. "_It is finished,_" He whispered before his eyes turned violet, each and every one, and the smoke around his body began to take shape once more, forming Zai.

The redhead flinched, realizing what a Soul Stealer actually did; they collected souls—tormenting dark souls—and put them in slavery until the host died. The thrall followed its new master back to the battle below, where both wreaked havoc on the unsuspecting group. Hiccup tightened his grip on Toothless' saddle, his eyes inspecting the field below. They tore apart a Gronckle going after Gobber, helped Sky against a particularly nasty group of witches, and kept a sharp eye out for Stoick.

They found him, eventually, battling away against two vampires and a werewolf. His fists called up earth and rocks smashed skulls and bones. But it was Hiccup who saw the witch approaching furiously, orange eyes glowing in the darkness. "Dad!" The redhead shouted and the burly man turned, just in time to dodge a ball of explosive magical energy.

He returned fire just as quickly; the earth cracked underneath them, the grass burned, and everyone gave the two magicians a wide berth, staying well away from the fight. Laura's smirk started to fall after a few minutes once she realized that the Keeper wouldn't relent. It became a full on snarl when a pebble mockingly bounced around her face.

Hiccup saw it way before it happened, screaming "_NO!_" so hard that it felt as though his throat was burning. A blast of bright green caught his father in the chest were he flew back about seven yards and landed, skidding across the dirt, and didn't get up. "Dad! _DAD!_"

Toothless stayed up in the air despite the urgings to go down. The teen just about dismounted in his frenzy, ready to fall the last few yards to the ground so the Night Fury went higher. Toxic green caught sight of someone else, someone with a glittering sword in her hands, and narrowed blue eyes.

Astrid cried out, swinging her weapon as two startled abnormal colored eyes turned. The sharpened blade cut easily through muscle and bone and Laura's eyes stared down at the girl before her head toppled to the ground, the body following soon after. The battlefield went silent before a roar of fury erupted on the mountain.

The blonde teenager was tossed unmercifully aside, her body hitting the ground hard as the sword sailed from her hand and into Zach's. His dark eyes were glinting in hatred and power, sparks dancing around his pale fingers. "You will _die_, little girl," he hissed as she scrambled up, staring at him with an aggravatingly calm gaze. "I will tear you apart piece by _piece_ until your body is no longer identifiable!" He raised the sword and the metal hissed and spat before magic burst out of it.

Cart-wheeling to the side, Astrid's eyes followed the blast as it tore past her, blowing apart a Keeper who had gotten in the way. She landed back on her feet in ease, before she had to move again, dodging frantically. Her slim body twisted and turned, ducked and rolled. Hiccup watched in horror, Toothless deciding to watch and would intervene should the girl falter.

Which she did. Every eye watched as she stumbled, tripping over Stoick's motionless body. A blast clipped her in the shoulder, sending her spiraling back, her head cracking against a large rock. Sneering, Zach walked slowly up to her, raising the sword, about to plunge it into her body when the Night Fury decided enough was enough. A sapphire fireball crashed into the Magician's back.

The sword flew through the air, landing on the burnt grass as it was knocked from the pale hand. Hiccup watched as fire hissed up behind them and passed over his head, singeing his hair. Toothless turned back around, readying another blast before deciding against it and wrapping his talons around the man's body, tearing before electricity sparked, throwing the Night Fury off.

Holding on desperately, his head buried in the back of his friend's neck, Hiccup prayed to anyone, anyone at all, that they would make it through this.

The rest was mostly a blur, with Toothless firing rapidly. One clipped Zach and sent his clothing on fire, burning the skin and sending a smell worse than a Nadder's breath into the air. He howled and tore off the shirt, sending lightning back at the Night Fury.

Black wings lifted them up into the air as the flash snapped out below them, tearing the earth apart as it connected. Zach snarled, and sent out an invisible shockwave, knocking both boy and dragon out of the air. Hiccup cried out, hitting the ground as his leg slipped through the stirrup. Toothless hit on the mountain side.

Zach, furious, turned to the boy and started forward, his hands sparked with dark energy. Hiccup scrambled back against the grass, his hand closing around something cold and wet. Licking his lips, he risked a glance.

Astrid's sword. Gasping, he let his fingers tighten around the handle, watching as Zach descended on him, before swinging the weapon clumsily, desperately. Black, foul blood splattered across his closed eyelids, smelling like rotten meat. Then, there was a screech and something hit Hiccup across the face. He sat there in a daze for a moment, then something crashed on his ribs and everything went dark.

* * *

Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III's mind hovered in an abyss.

There was peace and comfort and silence, an infinite and silent void. His body had released him, untethered. The teen was pure consciousness now. Green eyes peered into the emptiness, searching for anything; an image, a clue.

He found nothing.

There wasn't even a slight pull on his body to tell him which way was up. For all Hiccup knew, he could be upside down. _Am I dead?_ He asked silently. Time seemed nonexistent as light as there was no way to tell how long he had, actually, been floating in this chasm. So Hiccup searched, he thought and watched and listened, but there was no change. Suddenly, however, memories exploded into his brain like Hiroshima. They billowed towards him like the shockwaves that burst out of Tuffnut's clasped hands.

All at once, the teen began to remember; images tore through him, vivid and disturbing. His green eyes stared at Zai who was clothed in shadows, at Azula and Sky, the Twins, Snotlout, Fishlegs, Astrid…

Toothless.

Something hit him in the chest. Pain erupted and then… nothing. There had been soft light; the sun had been rising, followed by throbbing from his skull.

Wisps of memory. Hiccup was being dragged, half conscious down, down, down… Then they were gone. In their wake; a trail of hot red sparks burned behind, leaving light burns in his subconscious, followed by an eerie, distant whisper.

_Só leigheas… Só leigheas… Só leigheas…_

The soft chanting continued, rising up slowly in his mind and taking over everything.

_Só leigheas…Só leigheas…Só leigheas…_

Now they were getting louder, closer to his ear, unforgiving, unmerciful as they wove around his brain, not letting him go. Without warning, a bell, distant and mournful, tolled in the distance, growing louder and louder. It was getting urgent, as if hoping Hiccup would understand, as if urging his mind to follow…

* * *

Shortest chapter EVAH!

I've figured copyrights should go at end of story; which is next chapter! HO HO HO!

Review and Happy Reading!

Grim


	14. Line

**WARNING:**

POV jumps around; it's easy to tell (I think, anyway) but if there are any problems, give me a ring!

**Line**

"_A line is a dot that went for a walk"_

_A path of a dot through space._

Berk, quiet, at ease after a dawn of roars in the distant and the loud group of people coming in, hoisting a stretcher and storming into the local hospital, woke to a morning of brightness that hadn't been seen for awhile. In D4, however, the hustle of the people was drowned out by worried whispers and the occasional _crack_ of a bone snapping back into place. It was a perfectly private room for a boy who had freed them from worry and pain. The walls were absently white with the single television set that got no channels and the one painting of an ocean sunset.

Stoick was leaning back in one of the chairs, holding an icepack to his freshly bruised face and a cast covering his left arm, next to him was Gobber, who had a fidgeting Zalath on his shoulder (the small dragon had been found in the bed of the truck, having hitched a ride all the way to the town).

Astrid had taken the spot by the bed, worrying her lip as she looked over the limp redhead, pale and limp, on the bed. His body had been covered from the waist down by the blankets and his stained and torn pants. The t-shirt he had been wearing had been cut away, revealing navy blue splotches. There were mountains and valleys where his ribs had been broken; one going straight through his collapsed left lung.

The bells of the church began to ring out mournfully; being the only sound that came through the window, it was eerie, almost supernatural.

Azalea had said that the boy had fierce internal bleeding that couldn't be stopped until his bones were back in place. Her magic had already bound two back into place, and was working on the last three. The healer had wanted them out, but realized that she couldn't keep the father from his son, or any of the rest of them. Zalath hummed songs in his own tongue. It was like a cat's purring and didn't distract Azalea, so she permitted it.

Having not moved since the procedure had begun; Hiccup was sprawled across the small mattress, one hand occupied by Astrid's and the other sitting limply on the blankets. His head had tilted to the side, face staring at the window, a soft breeze ruffling his hair. An oxygen mask covered his mouth, forcing air into his working lung.

At one point, they had panicked when his heart had stilled before beating softly once more. It was weak, but there. The long burns that had once covered his skin had already been taken care of by Toothless long before anyone else had gotten there; the large one covering half his face had become just an irritated patch of skin, a striking apple red against his pale complexion.

Gently, Astrid squeezed his hand, hoping and praying for a response. Wherever he was, she hoped he had felt it and waited.

There was nothing. His fingers were still limp, his eyes still closed.

Another rib snapped into place, making the girl wince and sigh. It had been an accident. When Hiccup had stabbed the sword straight through Zach's chest, no one had expected the magician's magic to explode outwards and the redhead was right in the line of fire. Toothless had managed to get most of it out, but the dragon could do nothing about the physical damage.

* * *

_Light!_

The world around Hiccup had suddenly turned into a blinding sun, rays twisting and eating away the darkness. It was burning his mind, his thoughts, his _memories_.

It was everywhere.

Suddenly, within the radiant cloud before him, a beautiful silhouette appeared. It… it was a face. Blurry, indistinct, but it was _there_. Two bright eyes were staring at him across the abyss. Streams of light surrounded the face, and Hiccup wondered if he was looking into the face of God.

Then, just as suddenly as it had come; the blinding sun was gone and Hiccup was left alone once more. In the darkness.

Alone. But not really; he could hear soft humming, a voice, flowing and drawing him closer, intelligible. There were vibrations now, as if the world was about to tear itself apart. Then, it happened.

Without warning, the universe was ripped in two. An enormous chasm opened in the void, it was as if space had ruptured at the seams, drawing everything into the dark hole swallowing all life. A grey mist flowed through the opening, and Hiccup found himself finding terror as it wrapped around him, grabbing at his body, wrenching him out of the world.

_NO!_ He tried to fight them off, but he had no arms, no fists. _Or did he?_ The boy felt his body forming around his mind, the heavy flesh returned and it was being seized, brought upwards. _No! No, please!_ But it was too late.

Pain racked his chest as the hands heaved him through the opening. His lungs felt like they were filled with sand. _I can't breathe!_ The teen was suddenly on his back on the hardest surface imaginable, something pressed against his chest, over and over, hard and painful. He was spewing out the warmth, the sand.

_I want to go back_.

Hiccup felt like a child just born from a womb, convulsing, coughing up liquid. There was excruciating pain in his chest and neck while his throat felt like it was on fire. People were talking, deafening, burning. His vision was blurred and all he could see were muted shapes. Pale skin was dead, like flayed leather.

His chest felt heavier now… pressure. _I CAN'T BREATHE!_

Then, the redhead was coughing again, and an overwhelming gag reflex seized him, and he gasped inward. Cold air poured into his lungs, and he felt like a newborn taking his first breath on earth. This world was excruciating.

Hiccup wanted to return to the abyss.

* * *

"_Hush little dragon, the world is like ice,_

_but mother will show you that fire's quite nice._

_She'll let you dance with the spirits of old,_

_and tell you the secrets that want to be told._

_The darkness of the egg is now dead_

_but there are so many great things to fill your small head!_

_The ocean, the wind, the feathers, the fur,_

_the scales, the land, the trees; it's a cure._

_For darkness is now gone, here comes the light!_

_Its seductive lure is now only at night!_

_You'll see the full moon and sing under the sun_

_Praise the gods, dear child, your time has come!_"

* * *

It had been a week after the fight that Hiccup was finally allowed to leave the Hospital. His father had insisted that the redhead was to use the wheelchair, so the teen had surrendered, letting Stoick have his way as long as Zalath was in his lap. The burly man agreed full heartedly, glad that the boy had finally allowed someone to actually mother over him.

So, with a Terror in his lap, Astrid on one side, Gobber on the other, and His father at back, Hiccup managed to make his way to the Truck before moving himself into the front seat as the others were stuck with loading and strapping the wheelchair in the bed. The ride to the house was quiet, the redhead falling asleep, his cheek pressed against the window.

Zalath ended up nudging him awake and his father helped him back into the chair (Gobber and Stoick ended up carrying the boy _and_ wheelchair up the stairs). The door swung open at Hiccup's slight touch.

"WELCOME HOME!"

The shout just about sent him into hysterics, but, Hiccup realized as he greeted the people he had learned to call friends, that was what it was after all these years... The teen found himself grinning as he shook hands and wrapped his arms around Toothless, hugging the Night Fury close.

He was home.

* * *

When teachers regularly ask for us to discuss what we learned or did over the summer, most never expect anything beyond the normal "well, I went to the zoo" or "I watched a movie". For me? I fought a battle, was kidnapped, come out unconscious, woke up, and found out about a lot of friends I didn't even know I'd be able to make. There were a few rough patches along the way, but that's just how life is.

I guess (since you're the new teacher and all) that I should probably give you some background info first, so that you're not confused. My father, Stoick (the vast, hear his name and tremble, ugh, ugh—_don't ask_) lives up in Canada after my mother divorced him. Each summer I go up there and stay until a few days before the school year starts again.

He runs a reservation for, uh, _endangered_ and _make your jaw drop in disbelief_ animals. Like dragons, and no, that's not a joke. My dad has a system he calls Keepers that look over the care and habitat of the dragons and other animals. And their job was tested to the limit this summer. This summer, he got a new dragon. A Night Fury. They're pretty much kings of the fire-breathing-reptiles-of-doom. Not many people have ever seen one before, and they hate enclosed spaces, so when we were actually given a chance at taking one in? Well, Kool & Gang's _Celebration_ played all night long.

I met Toothless (that would be the Night Fury) by accident. Actually, I was supposed to feed him. Our friendship kind of grew from there. But I learned something, something I never thought I would ever be able to do; see, I can talk to dragons. Shocked? Yeah, I was too. So much that I passed out (I DO NOT FAINT thank you very much).

We went through everything together; flying, kidnapping, and fighting for our lives and freedom from a maniac. Don't believe it? Well, I wouldn't either, but I have to, because I was there. In fact, talking about it would probably get your memory erased, so you'll never actually _read_ this. But, hey, a guy can dream, right?

So I became friends with the people that I wanted to push off a cliff for the past ten or so years. On the battlefield, we became allies.

But Toothless and I…

I guess you could say we fit together… taking a bit of tiny things and placing them together into one large masterpiece full of separate ideas and images, but forming a single big picture.

He's the Principles and I'm the Elements; together, we make a masterpiece.

Heh, who would've thought?

**END**

**

* * *

**

**Ghostly Shade copyright © Cookie Master's Apprentice **

**Steel Wing copyright © Keyon Trials **(You're right, the name wasn't Viking like at all, hope you don't mind that I changed it)

**Black Lantern copyright © Ginger Katt**

**Soul Stealer copyright © Grim Revolution**

**Blackie Blakkr copyright © Snowthewolf **

**The 'Demons' copyright © You Know You Want To **(Who ever you are; I love your name!)

**Fenrisulfur copyright © ECHO231**

**Shadow Harpy Dragon copyright © Wirewolf **(Look _very_ closely)

**Zach, Bella, Laura, and Muhammad copyright © Grim Revolution**

**Hiccup, Astrid, Ruffnut and Tuffnut, Fishlegs, Snotlout, Toothless Ect. copyright © DreamWorks Animation Studio**

Wowsers that's a few…

_**A BIG THANKS TO MISSHANYOU FOR BEING MY BETA! THIS COULDN'T HAVE BEEN DONE WITHOUT OUR RANDOM CONVERSATIONS!**_

A shout out to all you reviewers! Thanks for taking the time to comment and I wish you guys the happiest of dragon filled adventures! Don't be shy if you want to send me a plot bunny or even just random stuff. I love hearing from you!

Here's a toast to everyone who followed over from _A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words_; there will be some more posted soon (I hope) along with an idea for another story.

A big thank you to the libraries who dealt with me checking out books on Biology for the past two weeks and for Baron who gave me this idea in the first place and helped it along on the rough nights; to Jason who decided to drag me to the movie on opening night, and Sam who's never seen the movie but tells me when my writing looks like crap anyway.

Oh, and Michael (I know you're reading all of this and wondering where your name will pop up)—epic fail on not catching the inside joke on Chapter three. You lost the game.

**A Merry, Happy Reading to all of you,**

**Grim Revolution**

**(OMGFTWHOLYSHIZZAM! IT'S DONE!) *faints***


	15. Nom

Hiccup sighed, resting his head in his hands as he listened to his mother. She was ranting about his father, again. The minute he had stepped off the plane, Vahallamara had begun mothering him, especially after seeing the new scar on his shoulder (actually, it ran across his chest, but she really didn't need to know that).

"—You won't be going back to that reserve again—"

With a groan, he tuned her back out, rolling his eyes and resting his forehead against the cool glass. The rest of the ride home was spent with the teen's thoughts rolling and jumbling together. Luckily, his mom had run out of air by the time they got to the apartment. It had no new tags on the wall, but Hiccup would be sure to fix that soon.

He walked straight to his room, dumping all his bags on the floor and flopping down on the mattress. There was a small shuffling sound, but Hiccup ignored it, humming the same gentle tune Zalath had taught him at the hospital. When the shuffling came again, he sat up, frowning and looking around; it had certainly came from inside the room.

Dear lord he prayed it wasn't a rat.

The redhead stood up slowly, looking around, listening. The sound came again, but from the most unlikely of places; his bag.

"Oh no," he whispered. _If there is a God, there as hell better be no—_the teen unzipped the bag and looked into a pair of large, yellow eyes. Hiccup sat down with a thump on the floor, staring at the proud Terror as it climbed clumsily out of his duffle. Groaning, the teen placed his head in his hands. The small dragon sat down on the carpet, tail curling around his body.

"_Hello, Dragon speaker."_

"Hi, Zalath."

* * *

*finishes eating apple*

Edit* Guys, this is a crack chapter. It has no refrence to the story what so ever! XD It just popped into my head today so I wrote it!


	16. One Year Later

I think everyone will be happy to know that I am officially planning a sequel to this story (based upon popular demand). There's not a whole lot in the works right now as it's still in the planning stage and I've created a balancing act between writing, college, work, and art. _Green_ and _Castle Utgard_ may or may not be updated as most of my notes for them both were lost when my old computer died but I'll see what I can do in the meantime. I have been mostly focused on my own original characters so forgive me if my HTTYD Characterization is a bit rusty.

It's been a while after all.

I don't know how many reviews I can get to but I will try to respond to everyone if I can. I don't remember where I left off or, perhaps, I'll just respond to the reviews on this chapter.

* * *

_One Year Later_

The hiss sputtered and died about halfway through and the knob inside rattled noisily as the can was shaken roughly, impatiently. Dark paint stained pale, freckled fingers—black in the dark, black in the light. Fumes made the painter press the bandana closer to his face, tilting his head down so that they wouldn't sting his eyes.

It was like burning permanent markers and he grunted, tossing the empty can aside with a clatter before grabbing a new one. The lid was already cracked from where he had tossed his ragged old Florida Gator's bag over the fence… but it didn't matter. His arm moved in even strokes, curving with ease. It was done soon enough and he rummaged through his cans again, searching for a color, skipping others.

A flashlight flickered in the distance and he paused, looking back and then scrambled for the neon green. Even in a hurry his movements were precise, perfect. Years of practice kept his hand steady, eyes forward under the dim moonlight.

Steps grew closer, gravel crunching under boots and a cloud shifted, covering the moon for an instant, concealing the wall in shadow. Cloth rustled, cans clinked, but by the time the flashlight lit up the wall, the painter was gone. Above the old, faded names that had been signed there, next to large, colorful signing of King Robbo (left alone in tribute? In respect?), was a large, black dragon. It's head was in the shape of a salamander, eyes bright like a cat's—except for the green, of course, that shone eerily in the light. A tail with two sails on either end whipped out in challenge, bat-like wings spread as if ready to take flight.

There was a faint buzz as the radio clicked.

"There's a new Dragon painting on the graffiti wall in the train yard_—_"

Sitting on the lift above the tracks, the painter looked over his work from afar, grinning to himself. Beside him, the back pack moved a bit before a head stuck out, wide, yellow eyes staring down.

"_That stuff smells awful, Speaker._"

Hiccup sighed and rolled his eyes. "If I remember correctly you were given the option to stay home, Zalath."

"_I think it is too late for that_."

Climbing carefully down, the young man sighed and pulled his hood further forward, walking as if he had always been there. "It's too late for a lot of things…" He murmured as the moon came out again.


End file.
